


Artificial

by braindelete



Category: Marvel 616, cap-iron man
Genre: Cap-Iron Man Big Bang 2013, Gen, M/M, Marvel Comics - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 16:40:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 26,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/braindelete/pseuds/braindelete
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of the Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn wins the day and plunges the world into a police state. Super Heroes are vilified and those who aren’t captured and killed are forced into underground hiding. Captain America, back from the grave, and his skeleton crew of Avengers wait in for the perfect time to strike, as Steve frets over the state of the world in his return and a secret he’s keeping involving the presumed dead enemy of the state Tony Stark. When Tony can do little to help them,  they have to put faith in the worst ideas possible to save Tony, their friends, and the world.</p><p>Cap-Iron Man Big Bang 2013 submission. </p><p>Art by:  Shaliara  http://shaliara.tumblr.com/post/66182594654/capitan-america-iron-man-big-bang-2013-art</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

[Art by Shaliara](http://shaliara.tumblr.com/post/66182594654/capitan-america-iron-man-big-bang-2013-art)

 

_"This is Rita Hernandez with a CNN News Brief. Tonight, the efforts against the underground Avengers movement tripled as Commander Norman Osborn of HAMMER released a statement about the search for vigilante meta humans. Commander Osborn insisted that the resources funding the hunt for these dangerous super-human fugitives are being well spent. Recently, HAMMER agents have captured the vigilante known as Spider-Woman. Commander Osborn ended the press conference by stating that the reward for Captain America--both Steve Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes--has been raised. Any citizen with information on these or other fugitives is reminded to keep a safe distance and not attempt any citizen arrests as they are considered extremely dangerous. Contact HAMMER im-"_

Steve Rogers turned the television off and tried to remember how the world had gotten to this point. The last two years had been a blur of events one right after the other. With Spider-Woman they'd lost another person to Norman's troops and as far as he was concerned it was one person too many. He stared at the TV's black screen, then at the door behind him. 

He ran a shaky hand through his hair, hoping to God that they were doing the right thing. He'd been pacing for hours. The news wasn't any help to his conscience with Jessica in HAMMER custody now. 

The door opened. 

Steve spun on his heels and faced it, his heart rate like a jackhammer on pavement. He felt sick with the suspense, his stomach churning.

Hank Pym looked at Steve with weary eyes before nodding.

"He's alive."

 

_Three Months Later_

 

It had been four months since Steve Rogers came back from his absence and he wanted to be angry with Tony Stark, his ex-boyfriend and ex-bestfriend, the man who had turned on his friends and lead them to war against each other. A month after he woke he found himself pacing the halls of a rundown hiding hole they were calling home, holding his breath and waiting to find out if Stark would live or die. The anger he was feeling, the need to discuss what they'd been through together was ebbing away. The only thing that mattered was whether or not he was making the right decision or if this choice was going to cost them Tony Stark's life. 

Now he sat on a chair beside Tony's bed as he busied himself on a laptop. He was reading anything he could find to fill in the blanks in his head. He was searching desperately for the information that he'd lost and he wanted so badly to remember. Steve found himself just wanting to forget. Memory... was a funny thing, he mused.

"Are you just going to sit here hovering over me or are you going to actually say what you're thinking?" Tony asked.

Tony lifted his head. Steve flinched, hoping that Tony didn't notice. He was still getting used to the empty eyes, the lack of sparkle that used to be there whenever Tony had a thought or a feeling or something snarky to say. 

"I just... I'm overwhelmed with all of this." Steve admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Steve wanted to tell him the truth. That he was still in love with Tony. That He’d made a calculated gamble to save Tony’s life, out of love, and a desire to see them fix their broken relationship now that they’d received another chance to do so. That he was afraid what he’d done might assure that Tony would never love him again.

"Who isn't? Nothing wrong with that." Tony's smile was forced. 

Steve hated that. 

 

\--  
Hank Pym's Patient Notes: April 23rd

Tony's recovery has been quicker than expected. Reaction time and reflexes have responded well to stimuli. He's fluid in his movement. He's responsive to light, sound, touch with little to no delay. Visual field is 20/20. Auditory has been measured as slightly above average. Vital signs are normal. Resting heart rate is 65 bpm, settled slightly on the low side of the average scale. There has been no sign of swelling or rejection for any of the major organs. Brain waves are normal patterns. Sleep schedule is hovering between 6 and 8 hours a night. 

Memory is returning slower than anticipated. The hard drive information stopped at Extremis injection but he's starting to retain information. He recalls the events leading into the super hero civil war, but the holes continue. In the last test he remembered offering to help SHIELD in finding renegade heroes...

 

\--

 

"I should have listened to you when you wanted to go after Osborn. I have guns."

James Barnes sat at the kitchen table--well, the card table that they used as a kitchen table--taking a swig from his beer. Clint Barton sat across from him idly sharpening one of his blades as they talked, their TV on in the background. There was little to do now but wait. Wait and keep alert in case they were found. 

"Yeah. It didn't go well for me, so I don't think that my plan was well thought out." Clint put down his blade, staring at the television for a few minutes before shaking his head. 

He turned the channel to something less annoying, finding Goodfellas on AMC and leaving it there. Joe Peschi blasted a kid across a basement bar with a blaze of gun fire as Robert De Niro and Ray Liota watched. Clint was momentarily distracted from the conversation by the events of the movie. James narrowed his eyes at the television, then looked at Clint.

"You changed it from the news in favor of this crap?"

"You've never seen Goodfellas? Oh, then you haven't lived. This is a classic."


	2. Save Our City

**Chapter One: Save Our City**

 

Peter Parker wasn't sure when things had gotten so bad. (Well, he knew when but he couldn't pinpoint the exact moment things went from bad to worse.) It had happened virtually overnight. Norman Osborn closed his vice grip on the world and everything seemed to fall into place, without a flinch, a sigh, or a whimper against him. Against his reign over them all. 

The landscape of New York was virtually the same as it always had been--except for the occasional smoldering building that was collateral damage on the never ending hunt for super-heroes (or as Norman was calling them, super-villains.) That and the constant shadows overhead from the sentinel patrol searching for anything that might be suspicious or deemed to be "unsanctioned meta-human activity." 

He didn't dare web-swing these days for fear of being caught. He'd seen what happened to those who'd been caught.

_This is a world in reverse, Peter. The bizzaro world of your life. Where the good guys are the bad guys and the bad guys wear your costumes playing make believe hero at the control of a mad man disguised as a saint. And I thought things were bad when Tony was in--_

Peter stopped in his tracks as he walked toward the subway station that would take him from his Midtown apartment to Brooklyn. 

He glanced up and stared for a long moment at Avengers Tower. Once, it had been a glimmering beacon of light and hope in this city, standing tall against the landscape of New York, watching over it. The Avengers lived there. He had lived there and even when he didn't anymore, it still seemed to instill a sort of hope in him. The Avengers were watching over his city. 

They weren't anymore, at least not from Tony Stark's tower. Not his idols, role models, and friends. Not his Avengers.

He sighed heavily and made his way for the entrance to the subway, momentarily held up by a line of people. In front of him, there was a man looking a bit confused about the line up as people queued into a single file toward the opening in the ground. The man turned and Peter swallowed. 

"What's the hold up?" The man asked.

Peter thought he looked an awful lot like--

"Oh... it's a routine search..." Peter muttered, fumbling in his pocket for his wallet. "Every week or so they have the sentinel patrol big brothering at the train stops. Checking IDs and stuff..." 

The man gave a nod and pulled his wallet from his back jeans pocket. He opened it, and pulled out a California state driver's license but Peter couldn't see the name on it. He looked up at the man again, wondering if he noticed that he was staring. 

"Do you recognize me from television or do you think I'm actually him?" The man asked, twirling the ID with his fingers. 

Peter gulped a bit. "I'm sorry-- I just... I know-- and..."

"You know that I can't be him..." The man handed his ID over to the sentinel, a beaming smile lighting up his face, the kind that belonged on a cover of a magazine or in a event photo, just exaggerated enough to hide the fact that it was forced. 

The sentinel didn't move, nor did it look at the man's expression. It scanned the card multiple times while the man seemed to bounce impatiently on the balls of his feet. Peter watched, swallowing. If it was Tony, he'd instantly register a fake ID and... well god knows what. But he couldn't be. Tony was... Tony was recovering and presumed dead. 

He watched the sentinel return the man's card and the man shoved it back into his wallet before strolling forward and waiting a moment. Peter handed over his own card and it was scanned the same. He always felt a little anxious, felt his heart rate speed up with nerves when this process happened. Of course, he knew they'd never pin him as Spider-Man from his ID card, not now, not without the database but...

Peter took his card back and fumbled to replace it in his wallet as he followed the Tony look alike down the stairs to the train station. Once out of the range of the sentinel, the man turned to him and took a breath. He looked worried, almost sorrowful with big brown--Tony's eyes weren't brown. 

He wasn't Tony after all. And he had no facial hair...apart from those distinguishing features, a dead ringer otherwise. 

"Is he alive..." The man's voice shook a little.

"What makes you think..." Peter narrowed his eyes, scanning the man.

No Spider-sense. No real reason to be cautious other than he was asking questions about Tony Stark. Normal people did not freely discuss the matter of Tony Stark unless they knew him personally, or this man was also...

"My name is Henry Hellrung." The man offered his hand.

Peter thought the name sounded familiar and then it clicked. Tony Stark's television show... this was the guy: actor, turned drunk, turned hero... Tony had talked about him a couple of times. He took a breath and gave him his hand. He was clearly here to see Tony and they were probably heading in the same direction. Among the heroes, there was little need for secret identities these days but that didn't mean Peter was going to give it up just yet. He hesitated before taking Henry's hand.

"Peter Parker, check it out... we both have alliteration names. How did you know it was safe to talk to me?"

Henry smirked. "Well, you seemed jittery about the scan up there. I figured you must have something to hide too. Don't worry, I won't ask questions. No offense but my main objective is to..."

"I understand." Peter rubbed the back of his neck as the train came toward them. "He's alive..."

Peter didn't know him yet, but he was almost certain Henry was holding back tears.

_I miss webswinging._

 

Pepper Potts had packed a few times in her life, and she found that it never got any easier. Once she'd moved out of her parents house to college. After college she'd moved out into her first apartment. From there, it was nesting with Happy after they were married, then out to California and back again to her apartment in Stark Tower. Now, with the world upside down, her husband gone and Tony dead... she was packing again. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going to go yet, but she was moving on from this city and this home. There were simply too many memories here. Pepper needed distance from memory.

She stopped her fussing with boxes when she picked up a framed photo of her, her late husband and now her late friend and boss on one of Tony’s yachts. She assumed it was on Tony’s birthday as they were enjoying champagne and some time away from the office. Everyone was smiling. She looked to have been mid laugh, her arms wrapped around her husband’s neck with a champagne flute just barely holding it’s contents. She sighed as she sat on the couch behind her as her mind strayed to the past. It had been a time when things were good. It seemed distant now. A time when she didn't worry about much. She seemed to worry about a lot these days...

"You okay?" 

James Rhodes came into the room, looking around at the boxes. He hated that she felt this alone and he couldn’t fix it for her. They should be leaning on each other. They’d both lost Tony but for whatever reason, she felt she needed to shoulder this loss solo. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder before noticing the picture she was staring at. Guilt hit the pit of his stomach like a rock. He’d missed that birthday party.

"He could be out there somewhere..." he said reluctantly. 

Pepper glanced at him then shook her head. 

"Pepper, they never found his body... you know Tony. We thought he was dead when we've had a body..." 

"Stop," she whispered. "Please, just stop."

Pepper stood and put the picture down on the couch as she walked away from him. She didn't want to think about Tony being out there somewhere, alone and injured and dying. Or in the hands of Norman Osborn who was no doubt doing terrible things to him. Pepper didn't want to imagine those terrible things because that would mean that he'd failed. He'd sacrificed everything for nothing. 

Her eyes scanned the city as she approached the window, her mind traveling to another time.

"It's weird. When I was in high school I read 1984... I remember things about dystopian police states and all of that... I imagined them a lot differently than the one I live in." She turned away from the window and heaved a burdened sigh. 

New York had barely hiccuped when Norman took the reigns. There was no constant overcast, no dark, ominous feeling hovering in the air. The sun still rose and set. Birds still sung in the parks. The buildings stood tall. People went to and from work without much of a care in the world, on their cellphones and ipods ignoring the people and things around them. Life was normal for the rest of the world. 

"I just... expected something to change. I wanted someone to care and... nothing seems different." She turned to him. "I can't live with a possibility that he’s alive and alone out there. I can't imagine the world is going on and he's out there and we can't help him."

Rhodey bit the inside of his cheek as he listened to her. He watched her stare out at the city below, like ants on the sidewalk from this far up. Her green eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot from tears. He knew she'd been crying for months since Tony went off the grid. He stepped forward, putting his hands on her shoulders. He knew she needed someone, anyone to comfort her now. She had always been a friend too, as they both put up with a lot from...

"Hey, listen..." He turned placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "He'll pay for what he's done. And if Tony is out there... he'll find you again."

Pepper glanced at him before wrapping her arms around his trunk. 

"He's not out there, Rhodey, but thanks for lying to me anyway."

The truth was, Rhodey knew exactly where Tony Stark was. It was a secret, a lie he'd regret telling her... he didn't know for how long. When the day finally came to shed light on the darkness she felt, he knew she'd be angry. 

But Tony wouldn't want Pepper to have been put in danger, so Rhodey would keep this secret just a little longer. 

 

Steve stood outside Tony’s room, leaning against the wall. He was waiting again. So much of his time now was spent waiting: waiting for breaks in the system to go out and rescue their friends, waiting for Tony to wake up, waiting for Tony to remember, waiting with baited breath for those out in the world to come back to their hiding spot safely. Now, he was waiting for information. 

Hank stepped through the door and Steve remembered the day they'd put Tony back together. A brief flash in his mind of Hank coming through the door, with a sober expression as the tension rose in Steve’s throat, causing his chest to get tight. And as he waited, as he heard the sound of his heart in his ears, he was sure the man had nothing but bad news to share. But that had been the case. He wasn't doing that today. 

"How is he?" Steve asked urgently.

"He's doing very well." Hank replied. 

Steve nodded as Hank started to look over the clipboard of information he'd taken about Tony's condition. He knew he wouldn't understand anything that was written but sometimes he thought it made Hank feel better to share it anyway. He took a deep breath as he watched and felt the waiting game again. It was this build up that was killing him. 

"His vitals are normal, stable. His heart rate’s still a little low but it doesn't seem to be affecting him. It might just be his new normal so I'm not immediately concerned. I still have no signs of inflammation or irritation of the replacement parts. He seems to be fully functional. Vision is still perfect. His auditory sense is above average." Hank looked up at Steve, and then gave a shrug. "I think he's going to be alright."

"So we did it."

Steve turned to the door and stared as if willing it to open on its own. He didn't know how he felt about what Hank had just told him. How they’d saved Tony despite the laws of nature and against his will and now he was going to be adjusting to a life he didn’t yet know was in front of him. He knew it was selfish to be more worried about his impending feeling of loss rather than the ramifications this would have on Tony Stark’s future. At least now, Tony Stark had a future. 

"Can I see him?"

"Actually... he told me that he wanted you to take a nap. I think I agree with him. He'll be fine a few hours while you rest." 

Steve looked at the door again, before giving Hank a soft smile. "Sure thing."


	3. Indoor Living

**Chapter Two: Indoor Living**

 

Tony Stark raised a brow as he flipped through the channels of the television they'd brought him. If he was going to be on bed rest, and if they were going to take away his computer, he was at least going to have something to do. He couldn't sleep right now; his mind was traveling a mile a minute processing all the things that he had apparently forgotten. The TV however, at this moment, was not the center of his interest. 

"Peter, what? Between you and Steve... I swear, it's like you should set up a camera in here." He glanced over at Peter who was perched on the wall.

Peter jumped and then shrugged. 

"Sorry. I'm just... curious..." he lied. 

"About?" 

He tilted his head some at Tony before crossing his arms over his chest. He stayed there, sticking to the wall, his back and feet planted against it, knees bent. Tony had always been intrigued by Peter's ability to just... stick to things. Maybe even a little jealous. 

"It just blows my mind how you never stop. I mean, you were in a coma for like two weeks... and then you had major surgery after what the sentinels did to you... yet here you are... no company to run, nothing pressing and you're obsessing over us taking your computer. You didn't miss a beat." Peter replied. 

Tony smirked. "Well, that might be true... but I have some things to catch up on. Taking the laptop just delays the process."

Peter watched him continue to flip through the channels, feeling his stomach sink again. After what he'd said the little guilt monster gnawing at the corner of his brain was back. _Go away guilt monster, now is not the time._

With great power comes great responsibility. That had always been something he'd lived by, tried to live by, at least, in his years as a super-hero. Spider-Man was a constant reminder of that. The loss of Uncle Ben, of Gwen Stacy, of the countless other people he'd cared for over the years as reminders to him of how even the tiniest of errors can end in tragedy. Peter's life had been riddled with plenty to be guilty about, and maybe he was a glutton for punishment, since he'd added one more big one to the list. Amongst the others... the times Mary Jane had been hurt, and Aunt May and even Harry. The times he'd let down Betty, Carlie, Michelle, his family, Ben Urich and yes even JJ all seemed to hit him at once, every time he was in the room with Tony.

That responsibility thing played a tricky part in his decisions regarding the other man. Was part of his great responsibility helping Reed and Hank bring Tony back from death? Was that the right thing to do? Should they have forced him to live?

"Hey, Pete?" Tony's voice broke Peter from his thoughts.

He perked up and looked over at him. "Yeah, boss?"

Tony's mechanical smirk jarred him enough to climb down meekly from the wall and stand beside the bed as a child would ready to be scolded. Tony gave him a slight perplexed glance. 

"What I read... I really hurt you didn't I?" 

Peter flinched. He had, in fact, hurt him. He’d been hurt very badly by Tony’s actions. He knew though that if Tony apologized now he wouldn't really know why. He shook his head a little and gave a shrug. 

"Hey, I'm sure whatever your reason was it was good. I wasn't exactly innocent myself. So... let's just... forget it for now, okay?" Peter didn't really want to forget it, but he didn't have a choice now. "The important thing is... we're not dead. And hey, Cap's back. And your doppleganger is here so that's cool..."

Tony stared at him with blank blue eyes as if taking him in for the first time. 

"Sure, Pete. We'll forget it." 

Peter nodded and looked toward the door. "Speaking of Cap, I'm going to go tell him you're behaving. Maybe he'll give you a treat."

Tony laughed a little as he leaned back watching Peter go. Peter could have sworn he'd heard the frequency of the computer generated sound that was Tony's voice, but he chose to ignore it for now. He had other things on his mind.

 

Peter Parker's journal: April 30th

I think we made a mistake. It sounds terrible to say that because who am I to make that judgement, right? But then again, who am I to make the judgement of who lives and dies? I mean, I wasn't alone in this. It was Cap who decided to go through with it. It was Reed and Hank that had the means. I just helped because they needed an extra hand, another scientific mind. 

Maybe I hate that they know I'm smart, just a little. They wouldn't ask Clint to do this. Or Logan. Clint would have just argued with Cap and then left the room. Logan would probably have said... no Logan isn't that cruel. Maybe. 

Sometimes I think about him trying to recover and figure things out. He wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for us. If we hadn't played... well we played God when we decided to build him. He was dying. His body was almost dead, his brain barely hanging on. We took him, put him back together and now he's... 

I don't know if we were right to do that. Maybe we over-stepped some boundary and we're just going to suffer for it in the end. We don't know that Tony wanted to be brought back. What if he it was his time to go forced him to stay? What if it was finally Tony's chance to have peace. Our selfishness would have stopped that. For what? We thought we needed him. 

But then again, maybe we do? 

 

"You're a super-hero now?" 

Tony looked at Henry with surprise, even though he probably shouldn't have. He always thought super-hero would have been a good look on Henry. He had that inspiring way about him, that insatiable need to do the next right thing. Apparently, someone else had agreed with him. The look Henry gave him, that sad knowing glance that told him the same thing it told him when he got it from everyone else here. It was something he did. Something he'd forgotten. 

"Yeah... well I was. The thing about a media darling super-hero team is that once the bad guys take over you have to choose: be caught or give up." Henry said sadly. 

Tony flinched. That didn't sound like the Henry he knew. 

"So you quit?"

Henry smirked. "No. But Norman Osborn thinks we did. Problemo numero uno, we can't really go to ground in sunny SoCal. They'll find us. Everyone finds you in LA. We can't stay at the Demeter because it's... well it's the Demeter. So we're splitting off with the promise we'd all meet up here."

Tony grinned. He liked the way Henry thought. His explanation sounded just like a team leader if he’d ever heard one. Maybe he’d done a good thing making Henry Hellrung a super hero. 

"How'd you know to come here?" He asked sitting up more in his bed.

Henry swallowed. "Rhodey told Captain America, who told Steve, who called me personally. I never thought I'd get a personal call from Steve Rogers, even with you as a close personal." 

Tony nodded with a deep breath. There were things Henry had known of his friend that were missing, things he noticed from months of learning his mannerisms, his eccentricities to play him. There was no life there in his eyes or his smile. There was no attention or spark.

"So now what are you going to do? Build another armor? Get back into the fray?" Henry asked, hiding the shake in his voice.

"Probably. I've already got a couple of ideas for a fresh start." Tony replied. 

Henry stared at him. 

"I'm going to get a coffee. Do you want anything?"

Tony shook his head. "I'm fine." 

He nodded and stood, walking toward the door. He stopped briefly, looking over his shoulder before he exited. Once outside the room, he sat down outside the door. He buried his face in his hands. Something was wrong. The Tony Stark he'd just talked to was not the man he knew. No one had given him answers or warnings to expect that.

 

Steve Rogers flinched every time he saw Henry Hellrung enter a room. Even without a vandyke and hair dye, the man looked so much like Tony. He entered the kitchen with a rush of energy, like he was a volcano about to erupt. Steve couldn't stop the sudden concern at that. He sat up in the chair watching Henry pace the kitchen before finally flopping into a seat and staring at Steve. He looked on edge, out of sorts, like words were forcing their way off his tongue behind his teeth and lips like armies of Spartans trying to bust into Troy. 

"What's wrong with him? I know you said that's Tony, but... that isn't Tony Stark. I made a career studying that man's every move, and feature... it's not him. That isn't Tony and I want to know where the real Tony is." Henry blurted out, then swallowed, looking sheepish as if he hadn't meant to speak.

Steve understood his outburst. Henry was a smart man and pretty attentive. He probably should have expected this.

"Tony was in bad shape when we found him. The sentinels and Osborn made short work of him, and then there was all the stuff he'd done to himself... " Steve looked up at Henry who was listening intently. 

The anger seemed to have dissipated leaving behind an attentive interest. 

"He... he was near death. He uh... he was beyond normal medical care. Too weak for most surgeries..." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry. I haven't told anyone about this yet." Not even Tony. "It's still sort of hard to wrap my head around."

Henry nodded, moving his arm up behind his head, rubbing the nape of his neck. 

"Is he... is he really Tony? Or is Tony a vegetable somewhere and that's a very good... life model decoy thing..." His voice shook as he spoke. 

"Yes! Yes he's actually Tony..." He smiled a little weakly. 

Henry’s expression could only be described as a confused dog who’d just been hit with a newspaper and wasn’t sure why he’d been forsaken by his master this way. 

"Then what aren't you telling me?"


	4. False Advertising

**Chapter Three: False Advertising**

 

_The room was an odd collection of heroes standing around in various states of thought._

_Steve sat on a chair, holding his shield, cowl hanging against his back as he stared at the floor. Reed Richards stretched about the room checking monitors and screens around his lab. Hank stood beside the bed, bent over Tony Stark's motionless body, stethoscope pressed to Tony's chest. He looked up at Steve, shaking his head in dismay._

_"We don't have a lot of time." Hank said quietly._

_Steve let out a breath. "Well, we have to do something. What are the options?"_

_Hank set down the stethoscope as he picked up the notes he'd already collected on Tony's condition._

_Tony was in rough shape judging from what Hank was reading off. A checklist of things that were going to end Tony’s life. He was battered, beaten nearly beyond recognition. There was the deletion process he'd put his brain through, stopped abruptly before it finished but it wasn't before it could make a mark on his system. He had multiple broken bones, extensive internal bleeding, a shattered knee and pelvis. His lung was punctured, his heart was weakened and bradycardic, a few irregularities in the beats. Life support was sustaining him for now but without it, he'd die in a matter of hours. His body wouldn't be able to handle the surgeries he'd need to repair the extensive damage done to his internal systems, let alone the number he'd done on his brain._

_"I don't think there's anything we can do but make him comfortable." Hank offered somberly._

_Steve held his breath. A year ago he wasn't so sure he'd have cared. Now, he just wanted to whip his shield at Hank’s face just for suggesting that they give up on Tony._

_"Doctor Pym," Reed interjected. "There is always the abandoned project we were developing..."_

_Hank looked at him. "Do you really think that would work?"_

_"It's worth at least an experimental attempt isn't it? If it doesn't work we're no worse off... at least we'll have attempted to save him."_

_Steve listened to the two of them, watching their faces. Reed didn't emote much, ever, and this case was no different. Hank, however, had trepidation written all over his features. Concern, fear, wonder could all be found there in his hesitation._

_"I suppose... yeah I think we should do that."_

_"Can someone please tell me what the two of you are talking about?" Steve commanded._

 

_"Breaking News from New York City. A successful raid in the south pacific today lead to the detainment of the vigilante mutant group known as the X-Men. Many of the members remain at large, but a HAMMER spokesman confirmed that several key members have been placed in custody. Professor Charles Xavier, founding member of the team and Eric Lensherr, also known as Magneto are awaiting trial in the Negative Zone Prison. Scott Summers, known as Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men team has been identified as deceased in the battle. Commander Osborn is expected to release a statement later about the success._

_HAMMER also urges citizens with the warning that not all of the X-Men were apprehended. Should you come in contact with a known mutant, contact HAMMER authorities immediately. Do not attempt a citizens arrest as they are dangerous fugitives._

_This is Rita Hernandez, CNN Breaking News. Stay tuned to CNN for more information as its available."_

 

Norman Osborn was a busy man these days. He was working intently on creating the perfect world and perfection, as it turned out, wasn't easy. It wasn't that he was having a hard time with the challenge. It wasn't even that he was feeling regret for his actions. His biggest issue with his new world was his failure to capture his high profile enemies.

He would. In time. He'd just succeeded on a major front against the X-Men, thanks in no small part from Namor. He'd stand by his agreement to protect Atlantis, for now, until he needed to overstep those bounds. If the world was going to belong to him, Atlantis was still part of that world... even if that meant Namor had to fall. It was a shame to think of, but Namor was not the type to fall in line. When the time came, he'd have to be destroyed.

"You were wrong. The X-Men fell easily. It was far too easy with Namor's assistance." 

Norman turned from the window, staring down at New York city from the views that only money could buy. Not his money, but Tony Stark’s money. He’d seized this tower and frankly had never regretted the decision. 

"I don't think Namor can be trusted. He does what he needs to protect himself, and his own interests. He has no allegiance to anyone else but himself and Atlantis. If he doesn't betray me--"

_"Us."_

Norman scoffed. "Not us. Me. _My_ empire. _My_ world. Everything here I built and I didn't have any help from you. If he betrays me then I stand to lose everything I've worked for. I won't see that happen!"

_"You didn't work for it. You didn't build it. You stole it from Tony Stark."_

"Well, Tony Stark is dead. The sentinels killed him." 

Norman stepped forward and picked up the Goblin mask from where it lay on the desk. 

"I'm in control now. The X-Men are in custody, the rest of the heroes are in hiding or captured. Tony Stark is dead. I have won."

There was no response, so Norman shoved the mask into a drawer and left the office. 

"Ms. Hand, where are you? I need you now."

 

Pepper turned the news off, throwing the remote onto the couch. She sat down, her face in her hands. Rhodey watched before sitting down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away before getting off the couch and starting to pace around the tiny apartment. Everything was in boxes, all the knick-knacks and photographs, personal mementos that made the place a home. This wasn’t home yet, not to her. Part of her didn’t want it to be.

"How the hell can you just sit here when he's out there doing this?" She yelled.

Rhodey looked down but didn't reply.

"He's dead! Tony's dead, and the others are all in hiding and you're just sitting here doing nothing about it! You have your armor, Rhodey. You have your military background. Overthrow the dictator and save us? Stop sitting there and staring at me waiting for me to break! If you're not going to do it for me, or for the rest of us, do it for fucking Tony. Avenge him or whatever you have to call it!" 

Rhodey sat there for a beat waiting to see if she was finished before he started to reply. He watched her, noting the way she'd stopped her pace and stood stationary staring down at him with angry eyes, fists balled together so tightly her knuckles were whiter than her already pale skin. She was full of rage and if he didn't know her so well, he'd have sworn it was directed completely at him. 

Pepper was angry at more than just him, he knew. She was angry with the world right now because it just seemed to take from her. Everything she had was gone and she had more than enough reason to let loose on him the way she had, so he couldn't find himself being angry with her.

"You're right. I should be doing something. You're safe. I protected you like Tony would have wanted and now I have to focus on the rest of the world." He stood, stepping forward and putting his hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. "Henry's in town. I'll send him over to check on you."

Pepper blinked, her eyes widening some. She reached up, wiping away the remains of tears from her face.

"Henry's here?"


	5. The City is at War

**Chapter Four: The City Is at War**

 

"Sit down and take off your shirt. I'm not letting you out of this room until I'm done with you." Hank scolded.

Tony gave a mischievous smile, sitting on the edge of the bed pulling off his shirt and tossing it aside.

"Okay, but you've got to buy my dinner first."

Hank rolled his eyes. He stepped forward, looking Tony over, still mildly amazed that they managed to save him; that he was upright and talking to them as if nothing had ever happened. He shook his head, placing a stethoscope on Tony's chest, remembering that he had to be careful about how he did this, making sure it was as close to normal as possible. 

"Breathe in." 

Tony followed instructions and inhaled, watching Hank with a grin. Hank didn't want to know what Tony was thinking so he stayed focused. The heart sounded completely normal and had he not known, he'd have sworn it was Tony's actual heart in there...

"You know, I've never noticed until now, but you're kind of cute."

"Shut up, Tony." 

Tony laughed a little. "I mean it. I'm kind of crushing on you a little. You've been so gentle and caring since the surgery I... I think I might finally understand why women in soap operas always fall in love with their doctor. You're my McDreamy." 

Hank rolled his eyes and pulled back, making a note on the file before pushing Tony back so he was laying on the bed. He wasn't going to indulge him. He needed to make sure Tony was going to survive this and he needed to focus to do it, so he didn't spill everything because of his genuine amazement. He pressed gently at Tony's abdomen in search of any abnormal lumps or signs of swelling as Tony stared at the ceiling. 

"Oh McDreamy, thank you for everything! You've been such an amazing doctor..."

"Stark, shut up!" Hank barked. "I'm trying to make sure that you're not going to keel over here and all you can do is make jokes. This is serious. Stop flirting with me, because I'm the last one who would ever be interested. Got it?"

Tony laughed out right, his head leaning back into the pillow under him.

"That was exactly the reaction I wanted."

Hank smiled despite himself, trying to pretend he was annoyed. He made another few notes then had Tony sit up again. Tony looked at him with sobering eyes, taking a breath. Hank knew exactly why he was making jokes. Tony made jokes when he was nervous, uncomfortable or insecure. Nothing could make someone more insecure than being a pin cushion for your friends experiments, even if you didn’t know it. Constantly being examined, thoroughly, by his peers, it had to be unnerving, even for someone like Tony. 

Sometimes Tony had to laugh to keep from crying.

"You're healthy, Tony. I'm taking you off bed rest."

"Oh thank God." 

 

Hank Pym's Patient Notes: May 10th 

Tony's condition has improved remarkably. His vital signs are almost too perfect. Resting heart rate is now steady at 70 bpm. He's completely healthy, healthier than probably even Captain America now. His vision is still 20/20, auditory sensory is above average. Reflexes also rival that of Captain America's, movement is completely fluid. Brain waves are normal and show no sign of oxygen deprivation. It is my opinion that Tony's completely recovered. There are no signs of rejection. 

His memory still needs work, but that will come in time. He's still having trouble with the events of the Super-Human Civil War. I'm starting to wonder if it's selective memory loss and he is choosing to not remember these events. If the problem persists I may consult Doctor Leonard Samson on the psychological nature of Tony's brain deletion process. 

I also have to note, he seems to have regained his old humor. I have yet to decide if this is a good thing.

 

Peter was sitting on the back of the couch, indian style, with a bowl of popcorn in his mouth with Clint sitting on the end of the couch, flipping channels until they finally ended up on some old David Carradine Kung Fu movie. He settled into the chair, allowing himself a satisfied smile when Peter groaned at the choice. Peter narrowed his eyes and webbed the remote away from the other side of the couch and then flipped the channels again.

"Hey, Webs, I wanted to watch that!" Clint barked.

"Why?" Peter responded. 

"Yeah, why would you want to watch that?" 

They both turned to the entryway of the room, and noted Tony Stark striding in. Clint watched him to gauge how to proceed, the man looked healthy again and that was enough for him considering all the effort they'd put in to hide him for his recovery. Peter scrambled to readjust to make sure if Tony sat on the couch he wouldn't be kicked in the head by Peter's foot. He grinned at Tony, glad to see that his guilt was at least over a good cause. 

"Why does your face look like that?" Clint snarked in reply.

Tony smirked. "Genetically lucky, can't say the same for you." 

Clint narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath. "Your mom."

Tony laughed taking a seat between Clint and Peter. Clint looked at Peter. Peter returned the look with a smile but only until Clint turned back to Tony. He swallowed, glad to see that at least Clint hadn't noticed the differences in Tony's expressions and vocals. Maybe he only became hyper aware because he knew the secret, and if you didn't know the secret, then you wouldn't know. Or maybe it was his spider-abilities picking up the change in vibration when Tony spoke. Then again, Henry had known but that seemed like a rare instance. 

"So they finally let you out of bed? Good, it's about time you started pulling your weight."

"I've already been working on a new armor. Just needs some paint and it's done. Had to do something confined to a bed." 

"Thank god, here I thought you were just napping all day getting a free ride." Clint rolled his eyes and then laughed. 

"Because it's not like you didn't do that in the mansion for years!" Tony replied with an eye roll of his own. 

Clint opened his mouth to reply but found that he didn't have one. So he shook his head and grumbled returning to the television, reaching around Tony to grab the remote back from Peter. Peter yelped with surprise, not expecting the remote to be yanked away so forcefully. Clint was pleased with at least being able to best Peter and started to flip the channels again. He passed a news story and Tony sat up straighter. 

"Wait, stop... go back. Did that say something about the X-Men?"

 

Steve Rogers stood ready with his team just outside the Avengers Tower. He could barely believe the place that was once his home, now a pillar of evil standing against the cityscape. Bucky was up on a roof near the tower with Spider-Man and Wolverine casing the joint for the comings and goings. Steve wasn't really sure what that meant, but Tony had been amused at Clint's phrasing. 

Clint, Steve and Mockingbird waited at ground level in an alley, waiting on a signal from Tony. They'd protested his involvement but he'd insisted he was ready, with a new armor. Hank and Carol were back up, still in the hide out with the SHIELD defect team, containing Fury, Dugan, Maria Hill, and aided by War Machine at the ready in case the ground team needed help.

The plan was simple: Team One was Ronin, Steve, Mockingbird and Iron Man. They were going to provide the distraction while Team Two, Captain America, Spider-Man and Wolverine went in to rescue the Negative Zone captives. 

Something told Steve, deep down in his gut, that this was going to go badly. 

Ronin glanced at him when he noticed a flash in the sky and Iron Man landed beside him. A cobalt blue and shining silver marvel stood before them, the metallic voice Steve knew so well emitted from the faceplate of the helmet. 

"Looks pretty quiet. They're ready when you are. Everyone's in place."

Steve winced. "Where's the red and gold?"

Iron Man tilted his head to the side in the helmet. "I hate red and gold."

Steve felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Right well, let's get a move on then. We've got a distraction to create." Ronin was grinning behind his mask, it was noticeable in his voice. 

Iron Man nodded and motioned toward the tower. He relayed the information his armor was picking up from the security system he'd managed to hack. Memory of the events or not, he couldn't believe Norman Osborn was stupid enough to leave the security system the same as before. He must really think he's won. The "Avengers" were at home in the tower, unsuspecting of what was about to be laid on them. Some were asleep, others were milling about. Norman was in his room. If they were good about this, the second team would get in and out of the prison with little to no trouble.

"You ready?" Iron Man asked, putting his gauntlet on Steve's shoulder.

Steve nodded. "You bet." 

The group moved in, Steve and Ronin on the ground attack with Mockingbird behind them as Iron Man soared toward the top of the building hoping the sound and some rapid fire repulsor rays would draw them out. It worked. 

Within minutes, HAMMER security and Osborn’s Avengers, all of them, were out heading out on the attack. They were mildly out numbered but there was nothing they couldn't handle. They were just there to be the distraction. Steve took down a couple of the HAMMER agents with relative easy, Ronin's immediate attention focused on Bullseye while Mockingbird seemed content to take on really, anyone else, both Venom and Moonstone respectively.

Norman Osborn shot Iron Man out of the sky before anyone knew he had arrived on the scene. Tony hit the ground and then sat up, looking surprised that he hadn't seen that one coming. Norman was trying to jam him. Wouldn't work, he got up and fired on Norman, before taking to the air again to go after him. Steve hadn't realized he was holding his breath until Tony stood up and he let out the exasperation before hitting Venom in the face with his shield. 

"You're supposed to be dead! Why aren't you dead?!" Norman yelled.

"I guess I just got lucky." Tony fired on him in return, swooping around from under him and getting behind his attacker.

"No. No I saw your body. There is no way you could have survived." 

Tony fired on him again, this time knocking him down a few feet before he managed to catch himself. Tony zoomed down after Norman, and grabbed him by the arm, taking him to the ground and ripping the helmet off. 

"This doesn't belong to you." 

Within seconds, the rest of the armor fell to the ground and Norman stood there, watching it. He growled, taking a swipe at Iron Man, who merely stepped back to avoid the blow, not that it would have done much had it made impact. Norman lunged at him with another throw, this time scrambling to pull on a gauntlet to fire at Iron Man before Steve's shield hit the ground between them. 

"You're not going to win, Stark. You forgot about our secret weapon." 

Tony turned to Steve expecting the man to fill in the blanks. Steve's face fell with the realization as the fighting seemed to die down and he regretted his choice to look upward. The Sentry swooped in and took out Tony before he realized what had happened.

"Tony!" 

Steve ran toward them, the Sentry now off to aid Norman in reclaiming the armor. Tony groaned and sat up, putting a hand to his head. Steve tried to hide his gasp when Tony's hand was now sans gauntlet and the artificial skin was peeling off to reveal to bionic bones beneath. Tony noticed too, rearing back from his own hand and staring at it before ripping off his helmet. 

"What's... what's going on?" He looked up at Steve. 

Ronin came up from behind. "We have to move, Team Two is being ambushed. Take him back we'll clean up here with Team Three!"

Steve swallowed, knowing now was not the time for Ronin to see Tony's hand. He quickly moved to cover him. Tony was still staring at his hand trying to figure out what he was looking at, dazed from the blow he'd taken from the Sentry. To Steve's surprise, Tony went back, passing out likely from the blow to his head. 

"Stark's down, I'm taking him back. Hank's staying back to deal with wounded. Carol and Fury's people are on the way..." 

Ronin nodded. "We'll see you soon."

He ran off before Steve could say another word.

 

End Part One


	6. Soul Meets Body

**Chapter Five: Soul Meets Body**

 

Dear Tony, 

I don't even know where to begin. I suppose I should start by saying that a few days ago, I couldn't stand the thought of running into you again. I still had a lot of anger directed toward you. I still had a lot of feelings about the actions of our war, of the SHRA, of how we ended it. I suppose seeing what I've come back to has put things into perspective for me and while it didn't heal all the wounds, it's taken away some of the pain. 

The truth is that I never hated you. I could never hate you because you've been such an important part of my life here. I've known you since I came out of the ice, and you've been there to help me transition from my old life to this one. We've been through a lot, and somehow we've managed to overcome everything. We've managed to stay friends despite it all. This time might feel a lot different but there is still a part of me that believes we can overcome this one too. It might take more time, but I think that part of my resentment and anger for what happened between us stemmed from the idea that you and I couldn't go back. That we'd abandoned our friendship for this cause and we wouldn't be able to return to the way it was, no matter the outcome.

We've both lost, Tony. I won't let this make our friendship a casualty. I love you. You're my friend, you're my brother, you're my partner. I can't imagine fighting this new evil without Iron Man, and Tony Stark, at my side. 

I suppose that's why we made this decision. Why I made this decision. If it fails I take responsibility for what we've done. If we caused you to suffer in anyway, if we prolonged any pain you may have had, it's my fault. I made the selfish choice because I didn't want you to die with the last feeling you had for me being hate. With the last feeling I had for you being hate. I wanted to give this to you because you knew how it felt when I was gone. I'm sorry that we never got a chance to bury it. I'll be damned if I lose the chance again. 

We need you, Tony. We need you to fight against Osborn and his new order. I need you to be there with me, to be cocky and self-assured when I can't be. So try to hold on for me okay? Don't let an asshole like Norman Osborn get the better of you. Don't let this destroy you. 

When you come back I'll be there waiting for you to help you through your recovery. That's what I have to do. 

If you don't survive. I'm sorry, but we did the only thing we knew how to do. 

Please survive this, Tony. Don't make me taste failure this bitter. Don't give Osborn the satisfaction of winning over you. 

Fight this. I know you're strong. I know you're a survivor. Just one more time, I'm asking you, to survive for me, for the Avengers, for the world. 

That might make me a horrible, selfish man, and I can live with that as long as you're not suffering. 

 

Yours,

Steve Rogers

 

_"Can someone please tell me what you two are talking about?"_

_Hank and Reed turned to Steve at the command, both appearing hesitant in the answer. It was Hank who gave in first, an old habit from the early Avengers days when Steve was their fearless leader and you told him anything and everything. He was fidgeting with the medical file in his hands while he tried to make eye contact with Steve to explain something he likely wouldn't understand completely._

_"Steve... Tony's beyond help of normal medical science. A few years ago the three of us were developing bionic organs and tissues to make transplants more affordable and less of a gamble. Stark Industries medical division planned to sell them to hospitals as cheaply as possible so that no one would ever be denied a life saving operation again." He swallowed, looking down. "Unfortunately our development was... halted by the events of the war and then the Skrulls so... we never were able to move to testing our first prototype organs."_

_Reed interjected then. "We have a full working system. His brain is still functional his body just lacks the ability to connect with it... the mind body connection is missing. If we could use his repulsor tech to reconnect that electronic pulse... his brain could control this entire bionic system and he'd be good as new... if not better than he was."_

_Steve stared at them, comprehending only the most basic of the conversation. Fake organs, meant fake Tony; and they weren't even finished testing them. This was a risk, a huge risk that might not have any pay off._

_"How long do we have to decide?" Steve managed to choke out._

_"Couple of hours. If the brain dies, then..." Hank swallowed._

_Steve nodded. "Do it. If it doesn't work, we're no better off right? He dies either way. If it works, we've saved a life today."_

_"I can't do this..."_

_The three men looked over noticing Peter standing against the door. He wasn't in his costume but in street clothes with his hands into his pockets, shoulders shrugged forward as he stared at the ground. He looked up, his eyes suspiciously glassy and his lip quivering. Steve approached putting his hand on his arm._

_"It feels like we're playing God. It's not that I want him to die... I don't... sure he's a tool sometimes but he doesn't deserve this... I just..." Peter shook his head, casting his gaze back to the floor. "I just can't help thinking we'll just make him suffer if he doesn't live..."_

_"He won't know about it at all, Peter... he's been unconscious, he will be through the surgery." Hank offered feebly._

_"Yeah, but... this... is a person we're talking about here. We're taking him apart and putting him back together like an eighties TV show! Don't you think that's a little beyond what we should be allowed to do? Right or wrong, heroes or not... this isn't..."_

_Steve swallowed, looking between the two of them. He knew that Peter had a point and years ago he might have agreed. When he first came out of the ice, if someone had proposed this idea to him, he probably would have felt the same as Peter did. Things had changed, he'd learned a few things. If this didn't work, or if this choice made Tony worse off than he would have been dying, then he would bare the burden of that guilt._

_"Peter, I know you have reservations. I do too, believe me." Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just think if we had a chance to do something insane to save him, Tony would want us to take it. We're talking about a man who has done very extreme and alternative things to save his own life. Maybe we owe him a gamble of our own..."_

_Peter swallowed. He digested that thought. Steve was right. Tony did weird shit to himself all the time. The chest plate that made him Iron Man, mechanical hearts that kept him alive, the Extremis enhancile thingy that made him a cyborg..._

_"Okay... I'll help..." Peter conceded weakly._

_Steve wanted to thank Peter but the thought process was interrupted by the alarms from Tony's monitors. Hank went over immediately, grabbing a set of defib paddles and getting them charged up._

_"That's good that you've decided, because we're about to lose him..."_

_He'd held his breath waiting for them to start Tony's heart beating normally again. He just needed to hold on long enough to get him on the machines that would keep him alive. Hank had tried to explain how they worked but Steve was tired of science for the day. He was pacing the main room of the hide out at first, but when hours ticked passed and there was no sign of Hank or Reed or Peter, his stomach began to sink. Maybe they weren't going to succeed, after all._

_Steve tried watching the news, but it made things worse. He just wanted an answer... Tony's alive; Tony's dead so that he could move on from this spot and this thought process he had. So he could stop imagining what it would be like to hear either phrase come from Hank. He knew that if Tony didn't survive, whether they were friends in the end or not, a small part of him was going to die with him._

_He sat down with his head tilted forward, his hands clasped together and Steve Rogers prayed. He prayed for Tony Stark's life, for the lives of his friends that had fallen at Osborn's grip. He prayed for the world under Osborn's reign. And finally, he prayed for his own soul for the choice he'd made today._

_The door opened. Steve spun on his heels and faced it already feeling the increase in his heart rate like a jackhammer on pavement. He felt sick with the suspense, his stomach churning._

_Hank Pym looked at Steve with weary eyes before nodding._

_"He's alive."_

_"He's alive." Steve repeated._

_A small smile played on Hank's lips, like he was trying to contain excitement. Peter came out after him, giving a little shrug._

_"I need a nap." Peter whined, walking past them without an upward glance._

_"Tony Stark is the first synthetic human. Yes. I mean I wouldn't put him in the artificial intelligence category because he has a functioning working brain but... we've created something new, something the world has never seen. Steve, do you realize what this could do for medical science?"_

_Steve wasn't sure he cared about medical science right now. He was just glad he didn't have to bury a friend today._

 

Henry had been in the room with Tony for a good hour trying to calm him down enough for someone to explain things to him. 

At first, he'd insisted to Henry that he was sorry for drinking and that he wouldn't do it again. He ruined years of sobriety and was hallucinating that he'd become a robot. Henry probably shouldn't have laughed as his first reaction, but they were almost immediately followed by a thick wetness of unshed tears.

"You're not drunk Tony. You haven't been drinking." He offered gently. "Just calm down a minute okay, man?"

Tony had stared at him, the artificial nanobot skin had long since repaired itself leaving no trace of the damage. He'd seen it though, the glittering silver-gray sheen of metal beneath his skin. He had to have been on something, or taken a worse blow to the head than he'd originally thought. 

"Hank... Henry... what's going on?" His voice was steady finally, traced with a timid tone that Henry hadn't heard in a long time. "Please tell me what's happening..."

Henry smiled, giving Tony's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I won't be the best person for that. But I know someone who will be."

"Are you going to open the door to some big reveal? It's Howard! He's alive! All this time..." Tony groaned. 

Henry shook his head. "It's just Steve. He just... he knows what happened is all." 

Tony nodded, his face melting into relief. Henry squeezed his shoulder before getting up to open the door for Steve. They exchanged a glance as Henry shut the door behind him. He'd been the warm up act, now it was time for the main event. He hoped Steve could get through this without much trouble because he had to leave.

Rhodey had asked him to check on Pepper. 

 

Commander Osborn, 

Our intelligence team has confirmed that Tony Stark is in hiding and has been since his disappearance. How he survived the sentinels is anyone's guess, but knowing he was in the company of Reed Richards and Hank Pym, it could be any sort of scientific miracle. If you intend to strike the Avengers and retrieve Stark I would advise that you handle the situation with caution. The speculation that Iron Man is still alive and back in action is enough to cause public opinion to sway in the favor of the underground Avengers movement. If you move too hard and too fast you will lose the popular support and the cause will be lost. 

I know subtlety is not your strong point, so try to bide your time and play this one on the side of caution. 

\- Victoria Hand


	7. Overdue

**Chapter Six: Overdue**

 

Pepper had heard on the news all about the Avengers attempt to rescue their friends from Norman Osborn. How Osborn had spun it so that public favor was in his court had caused her to throw her remote at the television. Tony wouldn't have let something like that happen... and she could have sworn she'd seen Iron Man in that news footage. Osborn denied his involvement and with Tony's armories having been raided, it could have been anyone in that armor. 

The knock on the door had been unexpected.

She opened her door and was immediately thankful for the sheepish looking Henry Hellrung standing outside her door. Pepper stepped forward, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. Henry was surprised by her attack hug and almost toppled backward from her momentum. He managed to catch her and hold on to her, holding Pepper against him before taking in the feel of her, the smell of her. 

"Hey, sorry it took me so long to get here. I was sidetracked by a pit stop I had to make." He offered, giving her a squeeze. 

Pepper pulled back, wiping tears from her face. "I... I'm just glad you're okay. How are you? The team, are they safe?"

Henry nodded to reassure her. In the wake of Osborn's take over The Order had no choice but to publicly claim their retirement to avoid any type of recourse for not working for Norman Osborn. He put a hand on her shoulder before giving her one of his genuine grins. 

"Everyone's fine. We split up after public retirement. Of course, we're not. We're underground with the Avengers. I had a personal call from Captain America himself... well, the old one. Steve Rogers." Henry explained, a strange kind of excitement in his voice, like a kid meeting his idols.

Pepper flinched at the mention of the Avengers, stepping back and giving him a curt nod. She moved away from the door, heading back into the apartment to find something to busy herself with so he wouldn't notice her sudden change of mood. Henry, of course, did notice and followed her feeling a sense of guilt for having upset her. He shut the door behind her before reaching out, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. 

"So... you and the Avengers not seeing eye to eye, I take it?" He asked her, his voice gentle.

Pepper looked at him, her eyes wet with tears she couldn't stop and shook her head. 

"He might not have been right or even smart about what happened. He did what he had to and when the chips fell and he needed his friends, they scattered like roaches when the lights come on." Pepper spat. 

Henry listened, not interrupting because he knew this was something she had to say.

"I knew Tony my whole adult life and when he became Iron Man and the Avengers were formed, he did everything he could for them. He gave them a home, a place to meet, toys to fight the villains with and his own service. Time after time, they have repaid him when he needed them most by turning their backs. So yeah, I'm not their fan club leader right now."

He hated seeing her like this. He knew she had every right to be angry after what this was putting her through. Tony's apparent death and likely hurt her the most, since she lost her job and one of her closest friends. Henry rubbed the back of his neck, a sick feeling in his stomach from the misery in her eyes. He knew her misery was based on a lie.

"I see your point, Pep. But, Tony did all of that by choice. He didn't want anything in return, he just did it because he thought it was right." He knew reasoning wasn't going to work.

"But this was big. This time it cost him everything. His livelihood, his reputation, and finally his life and no one helped him because a couple people were sore over what started out as a disagreement where no one listened to the other side! And now he's dead." 

Henry shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Pepper, he's not dead."

 

"I guess, I'm... surprised."

Tony sat on the edge of his bed, his head hung low so he could avoid making eye contact with Steve. He was still digesting the information he'd been given, about Osborn, his surgeries and what the result of them had been. There was a strange mix of confusion and guilt on his mind.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked softly. "There's a lot of information in there that could confuse you. Is there something specific?"

Tony shook his head. "Don't be offended when I say this, but you aren't really the Crazy-odds-drastic-measures type. For someone who has spent years trying to talk me out of that behavior, it's just surprising that you'd... come to that."

Steve didn't reply because he knew Tony was right. Tony had a way of always using the most ridiculous option to save himself or others. He'd realized over the years that it was probably all his friend knew. Tony's life had been relatively easy until a near death blow had caused him to build his armor to save his own skin. Without that desperate, extreme and arguably insane act, Tony would have been dead in a cave. Without his choice to rebuild that contraption to right the wrongs of the world he came back to, he'd never have met Steve, there might not have been an Avengers. From that point forward Tony's life had been one of self-sacrifice in moments of high tension that ultimately saved lives, whether they were strangers or allies in the field. By some sort of insane luck, he managed to survive like a cat burning through his nine lives with a cavalier nonchalance. Even in moments of absolute anger, Steve found himself thankful for Tony's survival.. and that his selfless act had saved the day.

"I figured that maybe it was time to take a page from Tony Stark's handbook, put a little faith in the worst idea possible." Steve replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Tony snorted a laugh and then tilted his head up to finally meet Steve's gaze.

"It's not that I'm not grateful for making the decision and saving my life..."

Steve shook his head. "You're processing. Maybe I should have told you sooner I just... wanted to make sure you weren't going to..."

"Malfunction?"

Steve swallowed. He knew Tony wasn't a robot. He didn't have a battery that needed replacing, this wasn't the old chest plate that needed to be plugged in. He knew he wasn't going to just shut down or have what Peter called the "blue screen of death" because he was a functioning person.

"How do you feel now, other than overwhelmed?"

Tony raised a brow. "Actually, never better. I'm a scientific breakthrough. Too bad I lost everything, think of all the good this technology could do with a little bit of funding."

Steve laughed. "Hold on there, Mister Futurist. How about you take it one step at a time?"

"Alright fine." Tony conceded with a grin. "I'll nap. But... will you stay?"

Steve felt himself melt at the request. 

"Yes. I will."

He did stay, long after Tony had gone to sleep. He watched as Tony dozed, taking in all the minor details he could of his sleeping friend. The slight flutter of his eyelids, the calm expression of his face at ease with the world, the slow movement of his chest as it rose and fell with the shallow breath. He knew Tony only needed to breathe now to keep oxygen in the small amount of blood that circulated to the living brain tissue, but it was still good to see. 

Steve crawled into the bed, moving some of the soft synthetic hair that Hank had worked tirelessly to replicate Tony's actual hair color and texture. It felt real, soft in his fingers. He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss on Tony's forehead. The nanobot skin holding a regulated body temperature so that radiated normal human body heat. He finally laid beside Tony's sleeping form, resting his head on Tony's chest. 

He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear, but he nearly broke into tears at the muffled beat under his ear. Tony's heart sounded so real, and for the briefest moment he could almost forget that Tony was nothing but a collection of cleverly made artificial parts. He sighed, kissing Tony's chest before resting his head back down and letting the soft, steady thrum of Tony's heart lull him to sleep.

 

Peter Parker's Journal: May 6th

Tony knows the truth now, and Clint seems to think it's okay to call him roboTony. But not to his face. Not like with BuckyCap. Things seem to be pretty easy now that we're not on eggshells. Tony seems more or less okay about the whole thing but something tells me that he's hiding his real feelings. He does that, hides his feelings, I mean. 

I still feel like this is going to be a very bad thing we did. Maybe it's because of the Parker luck. It seems okay now but I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don't know if I'm being a pessimist or a realist but something feels like it's just... anticipating the right moment to get us by surprise when we think we're starting to win. 

Logan says I'm paranoid. I think he's right but I also think years of being Spider-Man have taught me to never think you've won. 

 

Norman Osborn was pacing a groove into the floor of his office. Tony Stark was alive and he was out there probably mocking him for his failure. He knew he needed a good plan, one that would not only compromise the Avengers movement but would finally allow him to get his hands on Stark and that information in his brain. The last time the chance had slipped through his fingers and Stark had been rescued after the sentinel attack before Norman was there to collect what was left. 

_"I told you so."_

"Quiet." Norman barked, turning toward the desk.

_"You can't do this without me, you know you can't. You're delaying the inevitable and every moment you wait to act they gain an inch more on you."_

The mask sat dormant on the desk before Norman grabbed it furiously and crumbled it in his hand. He ran a hand over his head.

"Stop! I don't need you. This is my plan. Mine. And I will defeat Stark, and the Avengers... and I will get that database."

All he heard in response was laughter. He crumbled the mask again before throwing it at the door in anger. It fell to the floor and silence filled the room, his mind before he began his pace again. He just needed a good plan. 

The door opened, and Victoria Hand stepped inside, looking around the room suspiciously, the door pushing the mask just out of sight. 

"Are you... talking to someone in here?" She asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. 

No one was there but Norman. 

"No one of importance. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be finding information on where the Avengers are?" He sounded frustrated, staring out the window.

Victoria sounded pleased. "Oh, I have better information, sir. Tony Stark has been seen in Brooklyn. I was planning to send a team.."

Norman smiled sinisterly before turning to her. "I have it being handled, Ms Hand. A friend has proposed an interesting deal and I took it into consideration. Tony Stark will be here soon enough. Prepare lab number five in the subbasement. And make sure no one comes down there once the prisoner is secured."

"Yes sir." Victoria nodded, exiting the office. 

_"Don't lose him this time. Being embarrassed by him twice won't win you any support. Don't fail again."_

"I don't intend to. I don't need your advice." 

Norman stormed out of the office, leaving the mask on the floor where he'd thrown it. 

 

They regrouped back at Steve’s hide out, Tony was sitting on the couch after he’d woken from his nap, staring at his now repaired hand while the other’s took the time to come down from their failed excursion to rescue the X-Men from Norman Osborn. Logan was pacing, Steve was sitting in an armchair looking at the floor still in uniform his elbows on his knees. Peter had taken up one of his usual perches on the wall and clinging there, also mask off, waiting.

If you knew Logan the way Peter and Steve did, it was clear by his body language he had something to say. Peter figured he was keeping his mouth shut out of certain level of respect for Captain America, whom he’d been friends with longer than any of them, except maybe Bucky. And Fury. And Namor.

“Okay. So are we coming back to this or what?” Logan asked, gruffly. “Because I see we’ve risked are asses and our cover and made some questionable decisions for Stark here…”

“Logan, stand down.” Steve barked.

Tony lifted his head. Steve put his hand out to tell him not to speak, and remarkably Tony didn’t. His mind was swimming, processing. He wasn’t a human being anymore. Had he known that? Was this part of the stuff he didn’t remember?

“No. I wanna hear him speak. Stark, you know what they did to ya?” Logan Pressed.

Tony shook his head. “No. I don’t.”

“So you didn’t consent to this? Huh.” Logan looked at Steve. “Seems you got some explaining to do.”

Steve stared at him, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to go round of round with Logan. Peter shrunk back on the wall, hoping maybe he could fade in and match it like a chameleon and no one would be able to see him. Tony sat quietly, his mind still racing. He hadn’t agreed to this. He hadn’t even known until just now. He hoped he’d been hallucinating.

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, Logan.” Steve said through gritted teeth.

“I think you owe someone an explanation a’some kind.” Logan barked. “Seems to me you’ve made some pretty selfish decisions here, Cap. So you pulled some tech strings with the eggheads and got Tony a nice new robot body, but what if it hadn’t worked the way you wanted it to? What if Stark here had become some kind of abomination that we had to destroy? You put the smartest mind in the world in a robot body and then what did you expect to happen? You either get Tony or the next Ultron. How would you have handled it if we’d had to kill robotStark!”

Steve stood up. “It’s not what happened!”

Tony looked between them, taking a moment to digest their fight and really think through Logan’s argument. He had a point. Ultron was created as an AI on Hank Pym’s brain waves and he’d gone too far in his original plans to create peace. What was to say that an AI using Tony’s brain, but likely none of Tony’s humanity, what’s to say he wouldn’t have become the same kind of thing. The tech used to bring him back was experimental when he’d left it.

“He’s not wrong, Steve.” Tony said quietly. “You took a huge gamble on me. He’s not wrong.”

“How many other people are we going to bring back from the dead, Steve?” Logan barked. “Is that the new plan? Death’s not permanent so let’s get some of the X-Men worked on and back in action.”

Steve shook his head. “Logan, it was a one shot. We took a gamble with Tony and it happened to work.”

Logan actually growled, and Peter flinched. Tony felt himself flinch too, and he sat back, looking over at Steve. Steve simply set his jaw. 

“Why does he get to come back? Why doesn’t anyone else, can you answer me that?”

Tony got up and left, no longer feeling comfortable in this conversation. He could maybe take another nap. He didn’t know if this was a conversation he needed to be part of, because the same questions plagued his own mind. Why did he get to come back? Why was this okay to do with him but no one else?

“I still love him.” Steve admitted. “So yes, maybe it was selfish but Tony’s my family, even if we are never the couple we used to be… I will always love him.” 

Logan stared at him silently a moment. “And the X-Men were my family. So don’t play your sob story here. I don’t get mine back.”

He left before Steve could reply.


	8. Beware! Criminal

**Chapter Seven: Beware! Criminal**

 

Steve had reluctantly let Tony sleep and after realizing he hadn't eaten in awhile decided against disrupting him. As made his way down the hall to the kitchen his mind was focused on Tony and how he could help him regain his memories, fix the holes that Tony had in his life. Even through the worst of their battles he never wanted things to be this bad. He never wanted to see them come to a place like this, where they could barely look at each other. He was also still thinking about the fight with Logan and how things could have been handled better on his end. Logan raised valid questions about his actions, he’d had no right to act as if they were unfounded accusations.

He stepped into the kitchen, pulled from his thoughts by Emma Frost sitting at the table, one leg crossed over the other. She was surprisingly demure for Emma, in a white jumpsuit that didn’t show much skin and her hair down over her shoulders. Her face was sour, but Steve couldn’t remember a time he’d ever seen her face without a sour expression. Even her smile was sardonic and made him uncomfortable. 

“Emma. It’s good to see you.” He offered because it felt safe.

“Don’t placate me, Rogers.” She barked. “I saw your failed attempt to rescue my people. I’d clap but I think all you succeeded in doing was making a scene and stirring up trouble. So, thank you but no thank you.” 

“Thank you for your opinion, Emma.” 

Emma wasn’t done. “I want to see Stark.”

Steve felt an irrational need to growl at her like a mother lion defending her cubs. No one got to just “see Tony”. It had taken him months to even allow anyone outside the initial circle he’d created to fix Tony in to see Tony. What business did Emma Frost think she had with the other man? He couldn’t think of a single reason to say yes to that request.

“Emma, no.” He sighed. “Tony’s been through a profound thing and I just don’t need anyone in there messing him up.”

It was fairly true. Not every day you find out you died and were reconstructed with artificial pieces. Emma didn’t allow that to convince her. She leaned in closer, staring at Steve in an unwavering glare. 

“He knows that tower better than anyone. I want in. And I want to find Osborn’s mutant hostages.”

 

“What Tony needs right now is rest. Not you going in there and getting him worked up about this war against Osborn. He shouldn’t have been out in armor in the first place!” Steve barked. “I know you aren’t part of this team and I can’t give you orders, but I’m asking you to back off here.”

Emma frowned. “You know how easily I can find out what your hiding, and you still insist on keeping it from me.”

Steve shook his head. “I’m hoping you’d respect me enough to not dig. You’ll do what you want to do, regardless.”

 

Henry and Rhodey sat side by side on Pepper’s couch looking like two school boys preparing to see the school principal. Pepper stood watching them, her face a mask, impossible to tell what her exact reaction was going to be. Both men knew her well enough to know neither would get out of this unscathed, so as brothers in arms they faced their possible demise together.

“I can’t believe neither of you told me.” She finally spoke, her voice was even and deceptively calm. “You have known this entire time and you didn’t say one word, not one word, about it.”

“Tony thought he was giving his life to protect the people he cared about, and you’re included. The last thing we needed was to risk your involvement.” Rhodey countered. 

“Don’t plausible deniability me. You know I’ve been involved in this longer than either of you have!”

Henry sighed. “And that’s why he kept it from you. What they did was a gamble. I only found out because Cap invited me to join against Osborn. Reed, Hank and Steve took a huge risk that was either going to save Tony or end his life. He needed to be sure, without a doubt, their choice saved him before letting anyone else in.” 

Pepper shook her head. She knew that they were right. Deep down she knew that this is the way Tony would have wanted it. Keep people out of it, the more they know the more vulnerable they were. That was why he’d had Iron Man as a bodyguard way back in the beginning. It was why he chose the path he did, why he made stupid choices because in the end he hated that his actions left a body count of his friends in it’s wake. 

“I knew it was dangerous, one to bring you to their hideout, and two to give you any information about Tony... the further away you are, the safer from Osborn you are.” Rhodey leaned back in his seat. “He never would forgive himself if he got you killed. He never forgave himself for Happy or Rumiko...”

Henry looked up at her running his hand through his hair. He didn’t like seeing her hurt, he didn’t like knowing he was involved in causing that. There was part of him that knew she deserved to know all along, but the choice Rhodey made had been the right one. It kept her out of the shit, even if she was strong enough to handle it, it kept her nose clean for once.

“It wasn’t about disrespect or thinking you couldn’t handle it, or that you aren’t... well, let’s be honest, you could kick both our asses given the chance.” He smiled. “It was just because we thought maybe Tony had taken enough from you.”

Pepper looked between them, before sitting down. She had given them the chance to speak, collect her thoughts and now it was her turn. She was torn. On the one hand she had two good friends who had only wanted to help, failed miserably, but thought they were doing what was best. On the other, they had deliberately lied and let her feel the loss when they knew full well it wasn’t real.

“I’m still mad at both of you.” She said sternly. “But I understand you were acting out of concern rather than just being jerks.”

Rhodey stood up, feeling the weight carried off his shoulders like angels were flying it away into the heavens. He was about to speak again before Pepper interrupted.

“But I want to see him.”

 

Breaking News out of New York this morning as Iron Man was spotted on a raid with the Avengers. We can now confirm that Iron Man was among the fugitive Avengers seen outside Stark Tower three days ago. It is not confirmed as to if Tony Stark was the pilot, Tony Stark has been presumed dead since his disappearance late last year. The armor’s mystery pilot is still up for debate. Stay tune to CNN for more on this story as it breaks. This is Rita Hernandez returning you to Wolf Blitzer.

 

The problem with bad guys taking over the world is that when they couldn’t go out, there was a lot of downtime. Far too much time together in confined quarters, at least as far as Clint was concerned. As much as he liked being an Avenger and liked most of the Avengers, he was tired of being cooped up with the same people doing the same thing. 

Frustrated he tossed the remote toward Peter, who caught it, just barely, when it stuck to his hand by the corner and yelped as he fumbled to get a hold on it, and hold the sandwich he’d been eating. In a tangle of appendages, Peter managed to adjust both the remote, the sandwich and keep the bite of food in his mouth before giving Clint an annoyed stare, met only with laughter. 

“You’re a one man slapstick act.” Clint laughed. 

“Bite me, Mel Gibson.” He tossed a chunk of sandwich at Clint. “Warning would have been nice.”

“Mel Gibson?” 

Peter frowned. “He was in the movie Ronin? You go by Ronin.”

“Nice obscure reference to a movie no one saw but you.” Clint scoffed, picking up the sandwich chunk and eating it. “Ninjas don’t warn you they’re attacking. That’s Ninja code 101. They teach you that at ninja school.”

Peter stared blankly. “You didn’t go to Ninja school. Being magic dead doesn’t count as ninja school.”

“Even if he had, he wouldn’t have gotten very far. Or graduated.” Bucky had entered the room. “He’s a shit ninja. We all over the news again?”

Peter looked over giving a nod because his mouth was full. Clint sat up on the couch in case Bucky wanted to sit. A gesture intended to prevent getting his ass kicked than actually being polite. He motioned toward the TV where the news brief had broken in again, talking about Iron Man and the Avengers, the raid on the tower.

“Stop watching this. Steve sees this and it’s going to be ten times worse about Stark.” He grabbed the remote and flipped channels. “It’s already a mess.”

Now that Tony had free reign of the building and wasn’t kept on bed rest and sequestered anymore, it was more common to see Steve fret. If Tony was okay, where was Tony, what was he doing? Was he straining himself? And Bucky was barely able to take it. Watching Steve panic every time he heard an unfamiliar noise or watched a door open or locked down at night, it was hard. It was unsettling. He knew he didn’t know the whole story but Bucky was tired of watching.

As if on cue for Bucky’s train of thought, Steve went down the hall to Tony’s room. It was seconds later when he returned, and started looking around the place, checking every closed door and space in the apartment. Finding no sign of Tony, he arrived back at the main room looking annoyed. 

“Have any of you seen Tony?”


	9. The Futile

**Chapter 8: The Futile**

 

It had taken surprisingly little effort to convince the third rate Great Lakes Avenger The Doorman to assist her in her plan. A promise of recognition when it was all over, and maybe a cushy position with the post war X-Men team and he was immediately on board. After all, who wants to stay a Great Lakes Avenger? All it took was a portal from the hallway outside the apartment on the wall it shared with Tony’s room and she was in. She would be in and out in no time. 

“Emma?” Tony had been sleeping, but he wasn’t any longer. “What are you doing here?”

“It doesn’t matter right now, Anthony. It’s not going to matter at all.”

The psychic link was remarkably quick. Tony’s brain was a mess, and his defenses were nearly non-existent. Maybe later she’d dig around and find out exactly what had happened to Tony’s brain to make him so vulnerable, because she’d never known him to be particularly easy to control. Unless he wanted to be. 

In this case, Tony barely struggled, looking momentarily surprised before slipping backwards into her psychic induced sleep. Once she knew he was down, Emma turned to The Doorman and gave him a nod as she changed to the diamond form that would allow her strength to carry Tony Stark. 

“Alright, take us to Stark’s Tower.” Emma ordered.

“Uh...here’s the thing. I can’t so much with the teleporting. I could take him into the hallway, or I could take him to the other room there...” He pointed to the wall. “But I can’t take him anywhere unless it’s connected by a wall. Get it, door man.”

Emma stared at him before making a frustrated sound in the back of her throat. She let out a breath, taking a moment to regain her composure before continuing the conversation. With most of the mutants dead or captured her options for assistance were few.

“Just get us out of this building. Preferably out of plain sight. And then we’ll figure it out from there.”

Once out on the street, Emma laid Tony against the brick wall. Hardly elegant or well planned this situation was crumbling around her. She took a moment to think, rolling her eyes as her thoughts ran through the list of possible allies to assist her now. 

“Your services are no longer required, Doorman. Go back to helping kids through corn mazes in Rochester Minnesota, or whatever you were doing.”

When The Doorman was out of the way, Emma stood quietly in the alley looking at the slumped form of Stark against the wall. She shook her head, considering for a moment that this wasn’t a good idea. Rogers would no doubt have qualms over her actions, and the last thing she needed was a war between the X-Men and the Avengers once this was over. On the other hand, it was almost worth it to be sure there still was an X-Men when this was all over. 

“Nothing personal, Anthony. I have enjoyed you now and then.” She sighed. “You’ve just made yourself too important.” 

Emma watched him closely as she summoned help. 

“Cloak, I need you.”

 

Victoria Hand opened the door to Norman’s office feeling for the first time, a sense of relief. With her was Emma Frost in her diamond form carrying an unconscious Tony Stark. Once in the office she dumped him onto a couch, taking one more look at him before turning her full attention to Norman Osborn. With the burden of Stark’s weight relieved of her, she returned to her flesh form and approached the desk. 

Norman had his back to her, his eyes gazing out the window at the city below, as if getting visitors this way gave an heir of the power he seemed to crave. As if running the entire population of meta humans into hiding wasn’t enough power for one man. Norman could never be accused of lacking ambition. 

“I see you’ve lived up to your end of the bargain.” Norman spoke, turning around and approached his desk. “I didn’t expect you to follow through.”

“I am a woman of my word, Norman.” She gave him a sly smile. “Now. I believe that we had a deal.” 

He nodded at her, giving a placating sort of gesture as he opened the drawer of his desk. They did have a deal. A deal that required her to find and bring to him Tony Stark, preferably alive but dead if necessary. In return, he promised to release the people he’d taken captive, the mutant population that had survived his attack on Utopia. 

“Hand, could you leave us a moment?” He instructed.

Without hesitation, the woman gave a nod and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Emma wasn’t concerned, he wasn’t going to make a bargain or talk about their deal in front of an underling. He wasn’t that kind of man. Once the door was shut he and they were along: Norman, Emma and the still sleeping Stark, Norman sighed heavily as if largely put upon. 

“You see, Emma. You’re a smart woman, business woman as I understand, and you’d think that with those fancy schools and that fancy degree you were given you’d have learned the most important rule of deal making.” He slipped his hand into the desk, pulling a handgun from the drawer. With one bullet between the eyes, Emma Frost was dead, hitting the ground in a pool of blood and brain tissue. “Always have a contract. “

With Emma deceased, the psychic link keeping Tony asleep was severed, causing him to sit upright immediately, stricken with panic. He was about to call out for Emma to stop, but he realized quickly he wasn’t in Steve’s hide out anymore, and Emma was slowly becoming a redhead on the floor of what used to be his office. 

“Nice of you to join us, Stark.” Norman greeted. “Care to explain how you’re alive?”

 

“What the hell do you mean, he’s missing?” Rhodey yelled. “You told me you were going to keep him safe here until we knew how the procedure you did would take, and Iron Man shows up with the Avengers and now he’s missing? What the hell is goin’ on down here, Rogers?”

Steve didn’t need to be scolded by Rhodes. He was in enough of a situation knowing that Stark had slipped out undetected and Norman Osborn knowing that there was a possibility that Tony was alive was making it unlikely that Tony just went for a walk.

“Like you’ve ever been able to control Tony Stark!” Steve retorted. “Perhaps if you had we wouldn’t have had to do anything to him in the first place!”

There was silence between them after the digs were thrown. Both men knew the enemy wasn’t the other but it was a place convenient to send anger toward. Neither of them had been particularly good at handling Tony in the years they had both served as friends and allies, and that realization wasn’t particularly easy for either one of them to swallow.

“Well the only way out is the door through the living room. We’ve got no windows except in this living room and even those are blocked.” Bucky commented. 

“Right. Tony’s not a particularly quiet or stealth guy. If he left we would have seen him.” Peter replied. 

“People don’t just vanish into thin air, Webs.” Clint replied.

Steve put his hand up to stop them from whatever stupid conversation was going to start between them. Whatever it was would likely derail their overall goal with wasted time and energy. 

“Emma was here. Did anyone see her leave?” Steve questioned. 

No one spoke, but hesitant head shaking did start shortly after the silence settled. 

“Dammit! She probably had an accomplice outside. She had a teleporter waiting for us to be distracted. Why did she want Tony?”

Rhodey sighed, hanging his head. “Norman has the X-Men. Norman wants Tony.” 

“Tony was a bargain.”

 

HAMMER Personale, for internal use only.

 

From the Desk of Victoria Hand, Deputy Director

To all HAMMER Personale, 

Commander Osborn has a very important prisoner in the tower. Tony Stark has been captured. We have reason to believe that his allies will stage another assault on the tower in an attempt to rescue him. Keep extra aware of your surroundings and we will be heightening security in the tower as well as the helicarrier, as we will be moving the other prisoners to the Negative Zone via that location. Tony Stark is still considered highly dangerous and is not to be seen by anyone without expressed permission. Commander Osborn will be taking full lead on interrogation and any necessary steps beyond that.

It is imperative that there is compliance in regards to this prisoner. We cannot lose this prisoner. 

 

Victoria Hand  
Deputy Director


	10. Hostage

**Chapter Nine: Hostage**

 

Captain America and Ms Marvel sat with James Rhodes in the war room of the Avengers hide out. Steve had felt it was important to create a place to sit and discuss strategy away from the television and other possible distraction. Bucky stood outside, guarding the door against interruption. 

It wasn’t common for them to be in uniform during times in the hideout, but the hope was that after this meeting they would be breaking into groups to work on the previously failed rescue attempt. Rhodey had to admit he felt out of place in his civilian wear but the armor was hardly practical, and he wouldn’t be using it.

On the wall behind them was a board with names and photos. Each section had a heading: Deceased, Missing, Captured. Rhodey didn’t like stone that seemed to form in his stomach at the list of people they knew were dead seemed to be the longest. 

 

Deceased: Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Pixie, Penance, Boom Boom, Dagger, Forge, Longshot, Nico, Patriot, Giant Girl, Warlock, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Jessica Drew, Dazzler... and Norman had killed Dmitri Bukharin for aiding Tony in Russia.

The list went on, over forty names he recognized as fellow heroes that he’d never see again, most of them X-Men after Osborn’s siege of Utopia. The missing was hopeful, people who may come back eventually. Missing: Jessica Jones, Doctor Strange, Luke Cage, Monica Rambeaux, Gravity. Captured: Gambit, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Storm, T’Challa, Magneto, Professor X, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm, Hawkeye, Wiccan... that seemed just as long as the deceased list. 

“We need a plan to get the people back that we’re looking for. I have a feeling our missing are among those captured and we just don’t know it.” Carol had also been looking at the list. 

Steve hung his head. “Or they’re somewhere else.” 

He’d hated writing that list, adding names to it. When he’d put Sharon’s name on the deceased list it had almost done him in. It was so soon after Sam was taken while patrolling. At least he could pretend that Sam was alive in his cell somewhere. He wondered if Osborn had access to the Negative Zone prison. 

“This is going to be complicated. Tony’s a person of interest for Osborn. He won’t keep him in a cell with the general population.” Rhodey commented. “We’re going to need more time to find him than the others.”

“So we’ll need someone who can get in there without it causing alarm. Someone publicly known...” Steve eyed Rhodey.

“Retired heroes. Like me and Henry.”

 

The strategy was clear. Rhodey and Henry would request a meeting with Osborn with little suspicion on them. To the worlds knowledge they were out of the loop on Tony being alive, and the press had released no info on the matter. They would simply be doing a monthly required check in to confirm that they were no longer engaging in superhero activity. 

While Osborn was busy trying to keep Tony’s imprisonment a secret from the visiting guests he called close friends, Black Widow and the two Caps would be sneaking in to create an escape and locate Tony. Ronin, Ms Marvel and Spider-Man on look-out with Wolverine and Mockingbird serving as back up to them. 

As Henry explained the plan to Pepper he could see the skepticism written all over her face. First it was skeptical, and then it became weary. Pepper was tired. She’d wanted nothing more than for all of this to go back to normal. She’d been in the same constant state of ‘GO’ since the super heroes declared war on each other. She had been by Tony’s side until he’d denied her that opportunity and taken off on his own, leaving her to clean up the mess. He’d left her to take down the company, but she’d had to leave fast when Tony was presumed dead. 

“It sounds more complicated every time something happens. I don’t know how you’d want to come back to a life like this…” Pepper admitted. 

Henry had given up ‘Anthem’ and ‘The Order’ as a show of good faith to Osborn. Rather than work for the man, he publicly retired so the team could not be used for Osborn’s agenda. Of course, they’d still operated in secret to aid the heroes fighting against Osborn’s control. 

“It’s something I’ve gotten used to, I guess. I understand why Tony goes back to it every time. It becomes a way of life, and it’s like a purpose.” Henry shrugged. “It gives me something to do with my time instead of being ‘washed up actor guy living on residuals.” 

Pepper nodded, slipping her hand in his. “You’re a good man, Henry.”

He didn’t hesitate. Years he’d known her and hidden feelings from her. First, because of her marriage, and then because of her grieving. Now was as good a time as any to act, since he knew if they failed this mission it would be his last chance. Henry leaned in and kissed her, gentle and cautious. 

She hesitated but returned the kiss, her arms slipping around his neck to coax him to continue.

 

The last time Rhodey had been at Stark Tower, was to discuss the fate of War Machine with Norman Osborn. He had no desire to continue wearing the armor while Norman ran the world and he had made it clear he would not be continuing as a sanctioned hero. When asked to surrender the armor, he declined, as it was not his property to surrender and the only people allowed to seize any of Tony Stark’s assets were government agents, not his new SHIELD. Norman didn’t bother him again when Rhodey suggested asking the president. 

Arriving back was surreal in a few ways. Tony’s building was usually bustling with activity of people from the company that it housed, to residents of the Avenger’s floors at the top of the tower and the occasional in and out of SHIELD agents. Under Osborn control it was alike an empty husk, abandoned from below Tony’s office floor, which was settled just below the beginning of the Avenger’s living space. 

The plan began with Rhodey checking in at the front desk for a security badge, where Osborn would be informed that he was here. Once in the elevator he would inform Henry, who would then enter and do the same… but Henry would get lost on his way to make an entrance for Captain America squared and Widow. If caught his cover was simply act like the idiot actor most people thought he was. His personal favorite line was ‘gosh, Tony’s tower has always been so confusing. We don’t have buildings this tall in California!’ 

Rhodey was in, badge attached to his jacket and pressing the button that would take him to the office he’d dragged Tony out of so many times. As the elevator doors closed he took a deep breath and prayed this would work. 

 

Tony woke when a beam of light punched him in the face, causing him to wince against it even though his eyes were closed. He let out a strangled noise and realized he couldn’t open his mouth to speak. He managed to force an eye open to get a look at where he was, or at least why his mouth wouldn’t open. His arms were strapped down, so were his legs and another around his hips and forehead. He was naked. His mouth was taped. Tape? Really? 

“I know, the tape is crude, but I just cannot stand listening to your digs and one liners anymore.” Norman informed as he leaned over Tony. “Now, the more you squirm the more this will hurt.”

Tony stared at him, his brows knitting in anger as Norman spoke. He shifted in his restraints trying to get loose.

“I told you not to struggle. But maybe you like pain.” Suddenly Norman’s head snapped sharply to the side. “I didn’t ask your opinion!”

Tony stopped moving, raising an eyebrow. What the hell was that about? He tried to crane his neck to see if he could see if there was anything there or if Norman was just talking to air. As he did, the other man went over and grabbed something off the table. With his limited view, Tony couldn’t tell exactly what it was. 

“I don’t know what made you think your input was welcome, but it isn’t. This is my world now! I did this! I didn’t need any help from you!”

It was a mask. The goblin mask to be exact. Oh good, he was talking to the goblin mask. That was completely sane. Tony couldn’t help the eyeroll. He was trapped in a room with a sociopath fighting with a mask. Why was this his life? Where had it all gone so wrong?

 

Henry hoped his codes still worked. A guy like Osborn seemed to be just lazy enough to not change all the codes in the system. At first when Tony gave it to him he was annoyed with how long the damn thing was. But once he got there and realized it was probably the most secure password he’d ever had. Who would put part of the serenity prayer as a password in binary. Tony Stark would, and no one would ever guess he had.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding when the quinjet loading dock opened with little fanfare. Steve, Bucky and Natasha slipped inside and it closed again as if it had never happened. They were in and so far the plan had worked. The plan was working.

“Alright. We’ll split off and meet back here. You know what to do if you find Tony.” Steve spoke giving a nod to the other two. 

“Still don’t like the plan.” Bucky muttered. “I’m not just going to leave you both here if I find Stark. He’s a big boy, he can handle himself with a weapon in his hand.” 

Steve gave him a stare down, that was the end of the conversation. The three of them split up and Henry stood a moment to make sure they were clear before heading up to meet Rhodey and Norman. He just hoped they weren’t too late.


	11. Circuits and Wires

**Chapter Ten: Circuits and Wires**

 

It seemed like hours before Norman was done talking to the mask, and Tony was laying on the table staring at the ceiling just hoping he could zone or fall into a coma. Anything that would kill this moment. Finally Norman shoved it into a drawer and now he was back, looming over Tony with that shit eating grin and weird red cornrow situation he called hair. Tony looked at him expectantly. 

“Where were we?” Norman sighed, gripping the edge of the table and taking a moment to clear his head. “Now. I seem to remember the Sentinels taking you down and leaving you crumbled within an inch of your life, Tony. I’m curious to know how it is that you’re alive.”

Tony rolled his eyes due simply to his lack of other responses. He couldn’t snark at the man or really do much of anything strapped down with his mouth taped shut. His eyes did widen when he saw Norman pull over a small table. They were in sub-basement five. He knew that now simple by noting the medical equipment Norman was now inspecting. 

“Ah, I see you’re a little more concerned now.” Norman’s grin was awfully reminiscent of a Jack O’Lantern. “As I said. I’m curious as to how you’re alive. How your organ damage alone didn’t do you in. And then I thought to myself, Norman… this is Anthony Edward Stark we’re talking about. He had some kind of trick up his sleeve.” 

There was no pain, which had been unexpected. For a moment, Tony had forgotten his body was no longer organic matter. It wouldn’t be obvious unless you knew what had taken place, or analyzed the tissue so maybe once he found working organs Norman would give up or get lazy. He felt himself taking in breaths faster, as if his brain was registering the pain, as if he knew there should be pain despite it’s appearance here never happening. 

“I’m sorry. Is this uncomfortable?” 

_Extremely._ Tony thought. 

The sound of the bone saw made him close his eyes as the noise of it slicing through the false bone made his nanoskin crawl. Wait. 

Tony’s eyes shot open. The nanoskin was self healing. It would repair itself soon enough, perhaps before Norman even realized what he was doing. Then he’d be as good as dead. He hoped the man would get distracted. Rib spreader. Another crack. Tony’s internal working systems were exposed.

 

Osborn was silent a moment while he took it in. There was no blood when he cut Tony, no blood filling the chest cavity he’d just opened. In fact, once inside, Osborn found that Tony’s internal organs were a barebones team. Kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach and intestines. That was it. And all of them seemed to be connected by a series of tubes with blood going to and from, not veins. The heart continued to beat, the lungs contracted and expanded. 

“What did they do to you, Stark?”

Tony winced, trying to get free again. He tried to pull away, curl up away from Norman to try and hide his exposed organs.

“Commander Osborn, your noon appointment has arrived and is waiting in your office.” Victoria Hand’s voice echoed from the intercom system as if the voice of God had come to save him from this fate. 

Norman growled, looking down at Tony one more time. “Don’t move.” He left the room with the slam of the door leading to the elevator.

 

Rhodey stood when Norman entered the office. He was sure by the man’s agitated gate that he’d just come from where ever he was keeping Tony. For a moment he wanted to ditch the plan and force the man to reveal Tony’s location so he could go in after his friend.

Norman entered the room, adjusting his tie and unfastening his suit coat as he meant to have a seat at the desk. As he passed, Rhodey turned his communicator on as a signal to Henry that Norman was in the office. 

“What can I do for you, Mister Rhodes?” Norman took a seat behind the desk, motioning for Rhodey to sit. 

Rhodey didn’t sit. “It’s Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes.” 

Norman frowned and Rhodey took that small victory for himself.

“Very well, Lieutenant Colonel, what can do for you?”

 

“Rhodey’s in.” Henry informed through their system. 

“Copy that.” Steve replied. 

Steve knew the sub-basement levels pretty well. When the tower went up and Tony reluctantly handed the keys over to the New Avengers team, the two of them had done a full scale tour. Tony made sure that Steve knew this tower from top to bottom in case of an emergency. He never thought that emergency would be looking for Tony in his own tower while a man like Norman Osborn was holding the keys.

“What you should have done, since you guys took him apart and made him the bionic man anyway, is include a tracking device.” Natasha barked over the channel. “You were literally the smartest and most strategic brains the world has, and you didn’t think of this?”

“I don’t think now’s the time, Nat.” Bucky interjected. 

There was a few minutes of silence where both Bucky and Steve could tell Natasha was gearing up to let loose. If they got through this, Bucky was pretty sure he’d be sleeping on a couch tonight.

“This is a terrible idea. This is one of your worst ideas.” Natasha railed through the speaker. Steve winced having to move the earpiece out momentarily. “You went out here with a thrown together idea on a wild goose chase for your boyfriend. We didn’t have a good enough plan on what to do once we got in here.”

“What are you saying?” Steve replied as anger seeped into his tone.

“I’m saying you’re thinking with your heart and not your head. You’re distracted by these feelings you’ve got for Stark and you aren’t thinking about this with the same strategy you normally do.” Natasha answered.

Steve paused. Part of him knew that Natasha was right, that he’d put all of their resources into finding Tony when really it should have been approached differently. It wasn’t just about it being Tony, it was about everything that they had put into him. With the amount of time, work, and material that they had created for this miracle and the idea of Osborn getting ahold of any of that technology looming over his head… it was more than just about Tony.

But deep down Steve knew that he’d come too far to lose the man he loved now.

“Focus for now, Natasha. You can chew me out back at the hideout. That’s the last I’m going to say on it.”

 

Bucky turned off the fight between Steve and Natasha as soon as she’d shot him down to have the conversation later. He’d never had the pleasure of experiencing the long corridors in the bowels of the tower, so when he found a door he was pretty pleased. Of course the door was locked, but he found another one beside it. He let himself in, finding a room with several seats in a row like theater seating facing a heavy black curtain. Bucky pulled the curtains back with a yank on the cord. 

“Well… shit.”

Behind the curtain was a window that gave full view of an operating room. Why Tony had one of these in the tower, Bucky could only begin to guess. Inside the operating room, right in the center under a large hanging dome light, was Tony. He appeared to be unconscious--he hoped it was just unconscious and not dead, please don’t be dead--and strapped down from head to feet. 

“I found him. Sub-basement five. I repeat, I found Stark. Sub-basement five.”

Bucky moved out of the room and toward the first door he’d seen. Knowing it was locked he punched in every Stark access code he knew, but none of them worked. Frustrated, he radioed back to the team hoping someone would be able to come up with a way for them to get in. One of them had to have a working code or knowledge some other access point to the room. Breaking down the door would likely trigger an alarm and the whole thing would have been a waste. 

“I can’t get in. Access codes don’t work.” 

“I’m not a master hacker, it’ll take me time to break in without a base to start from.” Natasha replied. “I wouldn’t even know where to start. We did no recon.”

Henry responded before Steve could squelch Natasha’s second round on Steve’s Bad Idea Gate. “I can get us in.”

 

Rhodey heard the whole conversation in his ear as he spoke to Norman. Part of him was ready to just blow it, suit up and fight Norman here and now. He knew that wouldn’t buy them any time to get Tony out. 

“I’m planning to use the War Machine armor as a sanctioned part of the US Government.” Rhodey started, which was mostly true. “I want your word that I won’t be considered working against HAMMER.” 

Norman didn’t look convinced, leaning back in his chair with his fingers steepled together. “Do you plan to be an enemy of HAMMER?”

Rhodey stared at him. “Are you going to make me become one, Commander?” 

“Are you challenging me, Rhodes?”

Rhodey stood up straighter, coming closer to the desk. He’d never taken a seat in the chair as that would be far too casual for this instance. It was that he wasn’t worried about Marine protocol or that he was looking at Norman with any kind of authority over him, but he simply just didn’t like Norman Osborn. He had no desire to give the man any sense of ease. 

“And if I am, there ain’t a thing you can do about it.” Rhodey countered, an edge creeping into his voice. “I don’t work for you. You do not rank over me. You might think you do, but you aren’t Marines, Army, Air Force… you wouldn’t even make it in the Navy and they take anyone. So if you want to come at me, with your false title and your stolen tech, I say give me your best shot. I don’t have to answer to you, and even if I did.. I wouldn’t.”

“How dare you!” Norman stood up, slamming his hands on the desk. “Do you know who I am?”

“I know very well who you are. And I also know, it’s just a matter of time before you go away.” 

Well, plan be damned. He’d just turned on the heat. 

 

The quartet of people looked strange standing in front of the operating room door in sub-basement five. Two men in Captain America uniforms and a woman in a catsuit, next to a man in a business suit all standing, waiting anxiously. If Henry had his goatee from the Stark TV show days, well, it’d be a dead ringer for a day back in history before the Avengers knew their benefactor was also their Shellhead. 

“Okay. This should work.” Henry commented. “But I’m not Tony Stark, I just played him on TV. Stand back.”

“What if it doesn’t work?” Steve asked, with a bit more severity in his tone than he’d meant to inflict. 

“Uh… I ruin the control panel. And electrocute everyone?” 

Henry concentrated on getting them inside, pulling out a couple wires and sending a surge of power through the panel. It sparked and stuttered as Henry blasted electrical energy through it with surprising ease and after a hitch, a pause and Henry stepping backwards, the door slid open. He let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, before stepping back to lean on the wall for support.

“You okay?” Natasha moved beside him.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just forgot to breathe for a sec. You go, I’ll keep look out.” Henry replied.


	12. The Worst is Yet to Come

**Chapter Eleven: The Worst is Yet to Come**

Steve and Natasha slipped into the room while Bucky and Henry stood guard at the door. It was the longest run Steve had ever taken in his whole life, as if the space between himself and the table where Tony was strapped down was a never ending stretch of waste to a mirage oasis. When he finally reached Tony’s side, he balled his fist and made a quick motion, sending the small table of surgical instruments Norman had used flying across the room with a loud clatter of metal on concrete. 

“It’s not as bad as all that.” Tony groaned, opening one eye. 

“Oh thank, God.” Steve breathed, resting his head down on the edge of the table and dropping to his knees. “I thought for sure you were…”

“Not yet. Doesn’t even hurt. Mostly, it’s awkward… I mean here I am all vivisected and you’re throwing things.” Tony tried to lighten it up but Steve could see fear in his eyes. At least the human brain was processing emotion still. 

Steve sighed and stood back up, moving to unfasten the restraints. Natasha moved her hand onto his and shook her head. 

“I might not be a big brain, but you can’t move him like this…” She informed, softening from their previous fight. “He could fall apart.”

Steve hesitated. 

“She’s right.” Tony pitched in. “The systems keeping my brain functioning are rudimentary and flimsy outside the protection of the body. If something falls lose, it could kill me.” 

“Call Peter.” Steve commanded. 

 

Peter managed to get in the same way the others hand entered, only with more scaling of walls and being a general show off. Bucky could respond only by rolling his eyes and letting Spider-Man “spider” around the corridors until they arrived back at the room where Tony was being held. He had to admit that once he arrived there, it made him feel sick. Norman had done this deliberately to someone he cared about. Norman seemed to make it a mission to hurt people he cared about. 

“Hey, boss.” Peter said.

Tony laughed weakly. “Hey, Pete.”

“I don’t want to alarm you, but… you might be a robot with an open chest cavity.” 

“I thought I felt a draft.” Tony replied.

Steve let out an annoyed noise at the two of them making light of the situation. This was honestly the worst thing he’d seen done to Tony in all the years he’d known the other man, and here they were making jokes. He knew that was how Tony would cope sometimes. When he felt uncomfortable or like he was beaten, he tended to use humor, but very rarely was he particularly funny.

“Do you think you can help us get him out of here safely?” Steve questioned, getting right down to business. 

Peter looked him over, rubbing his masked chin with his fingers in contemplation before nodding. 

“Yeah. I think if I swaddle him in webs, it’ll hold him together long enough for me to get him to Reed. You okay with that, boss?” Pete looked back to Tony’s face.

Tony snorted. “It’s my dream to have you swaddle me, Peter. Can we pretend I’m your egg sack?”

Peter whined. “Don’t be gross.”

 

Tony was wrapped up and ready to go, attached to Peter’s back by a mummy like wrapping of webbing. They knew getting him out of the building undetected was going to be harder than getting into the building. Tony was a prisoner and it was only a matter of time before Osborn ditched Rhodey’s diversion and came back down to finish whatever he had planned to do in that room. 

Rhodey was still up in the office and as soon as they gave the word, he could start another diversion. In fact, it was Bucky and Henry, with Rhodey, who would create a distraction for Osborn and his people, so that Steve and Natasha could cover Peter’s exit with Tony. Once out, Tony would be taken back to the hideout, escorted by Carol. If it went well Tony would be safe but they would likely start war. 

They’d waited long enough to tackle Norman Osborn. Now was the time to strike. Peter, Carol and hopefully Tony, would return with any re-enforcements they could scrape together.

“Hallway is clear…” Henry confirmed, going right into the elevator. 

Bucky nodded before flanking off into another direction, taking the stairwell instead. Natasha and Steve moved on either side of Peter and Tony as they made their way to the hanger exit that had originally been their entry point. They were so close, Steve could feel the tension growing in the group. And thankfully the webbing had muffled the sound of Tony’s heartbeat and breathing, but Peter could hear it. He could hear it clearly that close. 

Once out of the elevator, Henry came face to face with Victoria Hand. Why? Because he was somewhere he shouldn’t be and that was exactly the point. Henry was wandering around like an idiot and enough of a distraction to keep them out of Steve’s hair as they got Tony out. 

“Oh gosh, this isn’t where I was supposed to be. I tell you. I just figured out where everything was supposed to be and then someone new takes over and changes everything!” Henry gave a sheepish grin and ruffled his hair. 

“Yes.” Hand looked suspicious. “And where are you supposed to be, Mister--Hellrung, is it?” 

Bucky took a different approach. He knew Henry would play dumb and lost and Rhodey would handle Osborn as long as he could with his tough talk and military background. Frankly, Bucky didn’t have time for that. The quicker they got this done, the sooner Osborn would be out of power. 

A HAMMER guard came into the stairwell, and just as Bucky was coming toward the door they made eye contact just briefly but before the guard could remove his gun, Bucky pulled his trigger. He was certain the shot would echo through whatever level of the tower he was now on, but that was exactly what he wanted. 

He entered the corridor through the same door and ran off to the left. If he was going to be a distraction, he could at least enjoy it and take out as many traitor idiots as he could on his way. 

 

“You think you’re immune to my influence just because Stark took the blame for all the things you people did.” Norman barked, the edge in his voice breaking like a dam giving way to the anger in his voice. “You’re wrong. You’ll all hang for your crimes when I’m done with you.” 

As Norman continued to rail on Rhodey with his angry rant, the War Machine armor was waiting outside the window just behind him. Rhodey smiled, his baby was right on time. The armor readied it’s weapons and prepared for Rhodey’s instruction to fire on the window and let itself in. He neatly stepped aside of the window leaving Norman to be on the receiving end of the shots.

“You know. I was going to let you slide with all the other shit you were babbling about but you just said ‘you people’ and told me I was going to hang, and that’s just racist.” Rhodey nodded to War Machine as he pressed the command button in his pocket.

War Machine’s shoulder turrets erupted laying fire on the window before Norman could counter Rhodey’s comment. He took cover, crawling under the desk before running toward the door. War Machine entered the office, opening up to allow Rhodey in to take over from the autopilot amidst the shattered glass and damaged furniture. As he settled in place and locked into the HUD screen, the Iron Patriot came barrelling through the door. 

“I will kill you first and make Stark watch! Just so he can see that he failed all the people he held close!” Norman’s voice came through the helmet of the Iron Patriot. 

War Machine fired a missile at Iron Patriot. The projectile didn’t hit but the resulting blast was enough to send the other man out the window. The armor hit the ground below with a sick clattered and thud that made Rhodey wince with a hint of sympathy. 

“Haven’t learned to catch yourself yet, I see.” He shook his head. “Rhodey to team, hope Tony’s out of the building because we’re about to go to war.” 

 

Henry had gone willingly with Victoria Hand and not said a word about the plan or what was going on. He was really here to speak to Norman about The Order and their operations resuming in California and he’d gotten lost in this big tower. That seemed to light some recognition in the woman’s eyes, and he knew there in that second that Hand was smarter than her boss. Henry and Rhodey both coming in to come out of retirement right after Stark had been captured. 

“Commander Osborn.” Ms. Hand spoke into her bluetooth device. 

“I’m really sorry, Miss. But I can’t let you do that.” Henry winced as he hit her with enough electricity to keep her down. She’d have a headache and be sore when she woke up. “Sorry, really I am.” 

He took off running down the hall. After taking down another Hammer agent he managed to get to Norman’s office in time to see War Machine take off. He sighed, knowing full well this meant the fight had started. Henry was suddenly glad that Pepper had convinced him to wear his costume under his suit. 

“Team, I’m with War Machine. We’re going to deal with Osborn and anyone else to provide cover. Is Tony out?”

There was a pause in the broadcast channel, a collective captive audience all holding their breath and counting heartbeats until a response came through. 

“Copy that Anthem, War Machine. This is Spider-Man. We are just getting to the Baxter now.”

Henry would never know for sure but he was pretty confident that in that moment they’d all begun breathing again.


	13. Make War

**Chapter 12: Make War**

 

Once Steve knew Tony was out of the tower and War Machine and Anthem had a handle on Norman Osborn, at least for now, he could concentrate on getting the rest of the team out. He and Natasha continued toward their exit, getting back to the hanger. He knew Bucky was supposed to meet them, but knowing Bucky, he’d likely run into.. or caused some.. trouble. 

By now most of HAMMER knew they were there, the group of them, to pull of a rescue or destroy Norman Osborn. Or both. So it didn’t surprise either Steve or Natasha that Venom and Bullseye were waiting for them in the hanger. Bullseye fired an arrow at Steve, but Steve was faster. The arrow dinged off the shield and skittered uselessly onto the floor. Natasha backflipped so she landed on Venom’s shoulders. She pulled him back and then slammed his face against the wing of a quinjet, taking him out for a moment. 

Steve continued with Bullseye as the marksmen fired a few more shots at him. They were blocked except one that hit him in the leg causing a short loss of balance in reaction. He tossed his shield quickly, knocking Bullseye right in the face. Bullseye fell backward and hit the ground, groaning giving Steve just enough time to limp away. Natasha left Gargan to check on Steve. 

“Don’t. He’s probably only down for a second.” Steve yelled. “Widow, move.”

He reached out to grab the shield back and Bullseye moved to get up. Widow ran over and with a quick leap kicked him in the back of the head. Bullseye grabbed her by the boot and slammed her to the ground, her head making a echoing crack on the cement. She groaned once he let go, getting on her knees to sit up. Steve got up when he saw her go down. 

Natasha grabbed a knife from her boot and shoved it into Bullseye’s shoulder. He flicked her off and moved to remove the blade as she stung him a few times with her gauntlets. When she was sure she’d bought enough time, she hustled back to Steve.

“We’re getting you out of here.” She ordered. “You’re wounded and the last thing we need is for Venom to get up and over power us.”

Steve stood, leaning on her shoulder. “I’m fine.” 

As he moved to get his shield in place, Bullseye was back up, wiping blood from his mouth. Steve motioned his head toward him so Natasha was on guard. It was a swift move and Steve barely saw the sias come from Bullseyes sleeve. It hit his shield and clattered to the ground and he shoved Natasha down. Natasha rolled and used to momentum to get up, grabbing a gun from her boot and firing at Bullseye. From behind, Venom grabbed Steve, who spun and banged the monster in the face with a battle cry. Venom screeched and his tongue wrapped around Steve’s neck. Steve hit him again, this time in the adam’s apple, causing the tongue to release and drop him. He almost missed Bullseye shove the knife into Natasha’s chest. 

“No!” He forgot about Venom, tossing the shield with all he had to hit Bullseye before limping after Natasha. 

Steve barely had enough time to recover the shield and go again when he heard the entire hanger erupt in gun fire. As if on cue, Bucky arrived, firing his weapon on Bullseye while Steve was able to lift Natasha out of the way. She slumped against him, staining his uniform with blood. 

“Come on, stay with me here…” He hoped this was something he could get her through. “We’ll get you help.”

Bucky came over after he was sure Bullseye was down, and Venom had already scrambled at the sound of gunfire like a coward. He dropped the gun and sat down beside Steve, taking Natasha’s face in his hands. 

“Don’t go. Please don’t go.” He whispered to her. 

His words fell on deaf ears. Natasha was already gone.

 

War Machine and Anthem had Iron Patriot cornered. He was flat on his back in the mangled armor with both men standing in front of him. He didn’t have a lot of options at the moment. He could try to fight with one more shot or try to run but surrender was definitely not an option. Not for him. Not for Norman Osborn. War Machine held a gauntlet, charging up, toward Norman’s face. Anthem did the same with the raw electric energy sparking in a ball in his palm ready to turn on Norman at any moment.

“Your move.” Rhodey taunted.

Norman was about to speak, when he saw a shining red, blue and yellow uniform come flying his way. Saved by the Moonstone. He never thought his most dependable team member would be Karla Sofen. She took out Anthem fairly easy, simply by flying into him and getting him out of the way. Behind her was, and Norman would never believe it if you’d told him it was going to happen, Harry in his American Son armor. He fired on War Machine causing Rhodey to drop his offense on Norman and focus on defense from Harry. 

While Moonstone fought with Anthem, and Norman scrambled to get his bearings, War Machine went at American Son with full force. Ms. Marvel sped passed War Machine and American Son taking a full force blow on Moonstone. The two of them barrelled through the tower, causing a hole in the wall and hitting a load bearing one at that. The tower started to sway as Ms Marvel pinned Moonstone to the floor. 

“I don’t like it when bitches steal my look.” Ms. Marvel fired on Moonstone.

 

Daken hadn’t taken long to find Wolverine and Ronin keeping looking out. When he picked up the smell he was there in moments. He brought Venom with him, who’d recently escaped Bucky, Natasha and Steve. 

The younger of the two mutants was well aware of his roll now, to keep his father distracted. The longer he could do that, the further Wolverine was from the action. He shoved at Wolverine with his claws extended, growling out enough that it turned into a roar as he approached. 

Ronin was keeping Venom at bay with his katanas, not exactly doing the best job of it. Venom was just gross as far as Clint was concerned, and made a note that if they survived this, to remind Spider-Man to keep his villains to himself. He grunted, looking back at Logan as they tried to keep ahead of their assailants. 

“We’re doing battle cries? I got one.” Ronin snarked. “Fuck this shit! Or how about: I immediately regret this decision!” 

“You’re not as funny as you think you are, bub.” Logan snarled, throwing Daken’s head into a lamp post. 

 

Iron Man returned to see his tower crumbling and smoking as his friends fought his enemies. His focus was on trying to find Steve as his armor was scanned the urban battlefield for him. Spider-Man had hitched a ride by sticking to Tony’s back and immediately locked his attention on War Machine fighting someone in an armor that looked nothing like Iron Patriot.

“That isn’t the hideous armor.” Spider-Man motioned his head toward it. “I didn’t know he had more than one.”

Iron Man agree. “I don’t think that’s Norman…”

He scanned quickly to get info on whoever was piloting the knock off armor and was doing a terrible job of holding their own against Rhodey. He took a breath, knowing that Spider-Man would not be happy about what he’d just discovered.

“It’s Harry Osborn.”

Peter choked and didn’t say a word to Tony. He shot his webbing toward a nearby building and took off toward the two fighting armors. 

Iron Man landed in front of Norman who was slinking away in his armor, trying to escape the action. He put his gauntlets on his hips, shaking his head. Norman stopped and lifted his helmet to glare at Tony. 

“Going somewhere, Normie?” Iron Man asked.

Norman growled dropping the mask and firing at Iron Man. “Why won’t you just die already?!” 

“I can say the same for you.” 

 

Spider-Man swung in and grabbed hold of Harry’s gauntlets, wrapping them in webbing before he could make another shot at War Machine. He pulled himself down and stood between War Machine and American Son, knowing the man behind the mask was his friend. His best friend. He motioned his head for Rhodey to go, because behind him, Anthem was down from his fight with Moonstone. Rhodey nodded, going to attend to their injured friend. 

“You can’t do this Harry. Don’t fight this fight. It’s not you. You aren’t this guy.” Spider-Man said. “Norman isn’t going to respect you anymore, he’s just going to use you until it ends you.”

American Son stopped, removing his helmet. “I know. I know you’re right but… I couldn’t let him die.”

“That’s not on you. Come on, I’ll get you out of here.” 

Harry was hesitant. He wasn’t going to go with Spider-Man but he wasn’t going to stay with Norman. He shook his head, putting the helmet back on and going off into the air. Peter wanted to follow, everything in him screamed to follow but… he didn’t. He couldn’t. Harry needed to find his peace on his own this time, and maybe Peter could show up later to console him.


	14. Gravity

**Chapter 13: Gravity**

 

Iron Man took to the air with Iron Patriot not far behind. Patriot fired and Iron Man dodged the blasts easy enough. He weaved in and out of the buildings as he was chased partially scanning for Steve and partially paying attention to the chase. On the bright side, he didn’t forget how to pilot his armor effectively. He slipped through a narrow alley, and by some inexplicable luck was hit full on by Iron Patriot’s unibeam. He lost control of his armor and stopped skidding along the pavement only because he ran into the tower, which swayed against the force. 

From one of the holes already in the building, Ms. Marvel dragged Moonstone out by her hair and tossed her unconscious form near a waiting police cruiser. A quinjet shot out and Tony picked up readings of Cap and Bucky, heaving a sigh of relief just as Norman came toward him. 

Struggling to get back to his feet, Iron Man groaned. His armor was damaged. He was finding it way too hard to move. Which meant he was going to be screwed very quickly. Iron Patriot dropped down in front of him and threw a punch at Iron Man. Iron man returned the blow wondering why they had resorted to rock em sock em robots. Probably because Norman sucked in the armor. 

“Iron Man, are you sure you should be out here?” He heard Steve’s voice in the intercom.

“All patched up, Cap.” He paused. “Wanna come help me down here?”

Steve didn’t get a chance to reply because as he opened his mouth, thunder tore through the sky and lighting cracked through the horizon as if tearing the world at the seams. As the clouds rolled in and the noise got louder it dawned on both Steve and Tony what that meant.  
Thor landed between Iron Man and Iron Patriot, swinging mjolnir hard and fast and connecting it with Iron Patriot’s helmet. The force of the blow sent him flying backward through the tower, which caused the poor abused building to finally sway it’s last time and begin to topple. 

“Thor, move! We need to get people out of the way!”

When the tower came down, Iron Man shrugged through the rubble to find Norman. At first he wanted to help the man but when Iron Patriot emerged, he grabbed Iron Man from behind in an attempt to rip his helmet free. He grabbed at Norman’s gauntlets and when that failed, fired a repulsor straight at the RT that was powering the armor. With the damage already done to the Iron Patriot, it’s power source backfired from the repulsor blast causing it to short circuit. 

Norman toppled backward his body smoking in the armor. Tony shook when he realized what he’d done, releasing the armor and dropping to his knees in the mess. He leaned forward, checking Norman’s neck for a pulse.

“I killed him…” He looked up at Thor. “I didn’t mean to…”

Thor nodded, and put his hand on his shoulder. “Better him than you, friend.”

 

The news spread to the small group quickly that Natasha had fallen in battle. Paramedics, police, rescue workers from SHIELD had come to take care of the injured civilians and heroes and agents who had been near the tower when it fell. Thankfully, outside of Widow, OSborn and Bullseye there were no other casualties. Steve was overseeing the clean-up crews and rescue efforts as they started in on what was going to be a long few days of work.   
Bucky and Clint stood together over the stretcher holding Natasha’s body now covered by a sheet and peacefully laid out to be transported. They were silent together, which was rare, especially for Clint. He always had something smart to say even when he shouldn’t, but now, he was mourning. Natasha the woman who had brought him to the Avengers, a woman he had loved.

For Bucky it was a similar loss, he’d lost this woman who had been his ground and somewhere to feel safe in this world he was still figuring out his place in. He wasn’t sure he was a hero anymore, if he deserved recognition, to carry the shield or fight beside Steve but Natasha had made him feel again. 

“We’ll have a whole bottle of vodka tonight and toast her.” Clint finally choked out. “And talk about how much she’d mock us for mourning her like this.”

Bucky laughed wetly, despite himself. “At least she went doing what she did best. Fighting.”

“Imagine how pissed she’d be if it’d been an old lady in a hospital bed.” 

And in that moment, two men who had very little to connect them found a common bond in the sharing of their mutual loss.

 

Wolverine, Steve and Thor watched as Moonstone, Venom and Daken were loaded up to be shipped off to the Raft. The missing Avengers and x-Men were being held in the cells there, and were currently being released by SHIELD operatives, Maria Hill and Daisy Johnson. Steve turned his head toward the medical station where Rhodey had ditched the armor to assist rescue workers with Spider-Man and Anthem, now back on his feet. He stepped aside when an agent approached him handing him a phone. 

“Captain, it’s the president. He wants to speak to you.” 

Steve took the phone and cleared his throat, giving his two friends a look before walking off with it. He needed to find a quiet place to speak. 

Thor turned his attention to Wolverine. “I must return home. I simply came to aid you in your final battle.”

Wolverine gave a nod. “Go say your good-byes.”

 

Tony Stark stood in the smoldering rubble that had once been Stark Tower. They’d won, if a win was even the word he could use for what happened. They’d gotten Norman Osborn down but not without a huge cost. Many of their friends were dead, many were injured and Tony found himself in a unique place. For the first time he really felt like he’d lost it all. In the past there was always something that he could cling too… but in the wake of the war with the Skrulls he was left defeated, shamed, without clout, friends or even his wealth. Here now, at the end of it all he’d lost a few more things: his home and his humanity. 

It hit him now like a gale force wind and as he lost his balance, quite literally, he felt something come between himself and the ground. He didn’t look at first just relaxed against his savior even as the words reached his brain after slipping through his ears. He was registering his name but couldn’t make a move to speak, not just yet. He’d just take a minute. 

“Tony? Answer me… Tony!” The female voice became more frantic. “Tony, please, please be okay…”

Tony looked up at Carol who was holding him upright from under his arms and gave her a brief nod to calm her. He was fine. When she relaxed he moved forward to stand up on his feet again and swallowed back the lump in his throat. Did he even get lumps in his throat anymore? Maybe it was a phantom feeling.

Carol didn’t look convinced, and he only knew that because half her mask was ripped off. Despite that, she took a step back to give him some room to stand on his own. He did so just fine before he watched her thoughtfully. If he could cry, he probably would have teared up right then, and Carol seemed to understand because she stepped forward to embrace him. He returned it, clinging to her almost like static and burying his face in her shoulder. 

“What am I going to do now?” He asked, it as nearly inaudible. 

“You’re going to do what Tony Stark always does. You’re going to pick up the pieces, hold your head up and rebuild your life.” Carol’s voice was authoritative. “And if you need help along the way, well I’m here to help you and so is Steve and Rhodey and all the others who have been there for you.” 

He wasn’t sure how to respond to her outpour of support, but right now she was there and she’d said what he’d need to hear. For now it was enough.


	15. You Were my Home

**Chapter 14: You Were My Home**

 

It had been Pepper’s idea to rebuild in the first place. She’d wanted to turn the Avengers Memorial it had been for years, into a Tony Stark Memorial Home for meta and mutants who needed a place to go. She knew it was something Tony would want, since he’d made a habit out of providing homes for the Avengers in his life. Now rebuilt, the Avengers Mansion was ready to accept its new occupants. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and the remaining Avengers. 

Tony sat overlooking the yard, the pool, even his mother’s rose garden had been resurrected from the ashes. Behind him inside the home, the team was carrying in their various belongings, getting settled in rooms that were once theirs, or maybe rooms they were now claiming. With him, his closest friends James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Henry Hellrung and Steve Rogers. 

“You know, Henry, you’re welcome to stay and become an Avenger. You’ve more than earned it.” Steve offered.

“Uh, thanks, Cap--tain… but I never was much for New York. I’ve gotten used to LA.” He gave Tony a smile as he said it. “And I think I’m gonna hang the hero hat up for good. It’s… exhausting and my time with these powers is up.”

Henry had given Tony the run down once they’d had a chance to relax and how they’d been designed with a short life span to protect the people given them from gaining injuries as a result. Henry had already had them longer than they had anticipated and was starting to feel the strain on his body. 

“Can’t say I’m not sad to see you go.” Tony nodded. “But I understand and you will be missed. Don’t be a stranger okay?”

Henry smiled. “Hey, I’m still your sponsor. Don’t think you’re getting off the hook on that because of a little brain damage and a robot body.”

“That’s exactly what he’s counting on happening.” Rhodey laughed.

They laughed. It felt good to laugh, to find something genuinely funny. Steve hadn’t laughed since he’d been back and neither Pepper nor Rhodey nor Henry could remember the last time they had either. But the funny part wasn’t the situation, or the alcoholism or that Tony was a brain damaged robot. It was a simple reminder that no matter what you changed about Tony outside, he was always going to bounce back the same man. He was going to be the guy that worked too hard, took on too much, loved too easy and just plain didn’t want to go to AA. 

For those that knew him best, it was it’s own brand of funny. Enough to bring them a shared laugh when they need it most.

 

Pepper helped clean up with Henry, under the watchful eye of Tony Stark. He watched them brush against each other, and smile and laugh and be oddly comfortable. So when he saw Henry slip away to make a phone call, he knew exactly what he was going to grill her about. 

“How long have you two been a thing?” Tony asked, taking a dish from her and slipping it into the dishwasher.

“It’s a recent thing but I’ve kinda crushed on him since you sent me to aid The Order.” She paused. “I just wasn’t in the place to start anything.” 

He knew it was because Happy died. He didn’t remember it and it wasn’t fair of him to ask, but he couldn’t help feeling the guilt in he felt for the friend he’d had the longest being dead while he got to come back. He had been told Pepper forgave him, and he wondered, what did she have to forgive?

“Are you going to LA too?” He gazed down at the counter, the dishwasher open and ready for the next dish. 

“If you think you can manage without me…” She paused. “Can you?”

Tony considered the question. Could he survive without Pepper? Yes, he could. Did he want to? Probably not. He had before but this time felt very final. It was time for him to do something that was right for someone else and not just himself.

“You’ve spent too much time taking care of me, Pep.” He sighed, then turned to her, taking her hands. “Go to LA, be happy and do whatever you want to do. I require no further assistance, Ms Potts.”

Pepper couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes at his words. She leaned in and hugged him tightly, taking a few breaths to push away the emotions. 

“Thank you, Mister Stark.”

 

Peter Parker’s Journal: May 28th

Avengers Assemble! Or Reassembled. More assembled than before? It doesn’t matter. We have a home again. I live in Avengers mansion and that’s something I never thought I’d say: I live in Avengers mansion, come to think of it any mansion ever. But we fixed the world and we fixed the team and we fixed Steve and Tony so everything is better now.

Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe we didn’t make a mistake. It seems bringing Tony back was a good idea after all. He seems to be doing okay, and you know.. faced with losing him, I now see how much I really would’ve missed him. Even when he’s being a mega tool.

He doesn’t remember building me that spider armor. Maybe I can convince him to build me another one without all the mind controlly bits. 

 

“It’s like a circular pattern.” Tony said as he sat beside Steve. “We started here, all those years ago and here we are… rebuilt and renewed and starting over here.”

The mansion had been newly constructed, a new beacon to the world. With Tony’s decision to not rebuild the tower, it had only made sense to move into the mansion instead of letting it sit there vacant filled with the ghosts of the past. It was time to fill it with new memories, just as they had done with the tower. 

“Rather poetic, I’d say.” Steve smiled softly. “It’s good to be here. This was the first home I knew after the ice and I was always sad to see it go. I knew it affected you more than you let on.” 

Tony nodded. It had. They’d lost their home, the Avengers, but Tony had lost the whole life connected to it. It was his childhood home, his family’s estate. His baby pictures were there. His height chart was still in a room near the garden and the grand staircase had been the first time he’d climbed stairs. He’d lost more than bricks and moider. He’d lost memories, heirlooms, pieces of his life he could never replace because it simply didn’t exist anywhere else but in that building. 

“Hey, listen. Hank and Reed are pretty sure my memories of what happened between us are gone for good. Whatever this war was that put Osborn in charge.” Tony hesitated before looking up at Steve. “So, whatever you want to get out there, let’s get it on the table and squash it so we can really start fresh.” 

Steve reached over and put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. There was a moment there between them where Steve really did want to lay it all on the line. But then he thought of everything they’d been through. He remembered the broken body that was brought into the hideout. The hours of waiting for condition updates. The final decision he’d made and the battle they’d just fought. Through all of that Tony was here, sitting next to him. He was a changed man, sure. But despite the odds being stacked against it, Tony Stark was alive and well. 

“Let’s call it a wash. I’m way too happy to be here with you, right now, that it’s not worth bringing up all that old stuff.” Steve said.

“You sure?” Tony looked skeptical. 

His features were starting to be more appropriate. They were starting to look less like robotic movements and contain a little more of that life Tony used to have. 

“I’m sure, Tony.” Steve assured. “I’m sure.”

Tony gave a nod. “Okay. Then there’s one more thing I want to say.”

Steve smiled. “What’s that?”

For a few heartbeats, Tony said nothing. Steve began to think maybe Tony had nothing else to say or that he had changed his mind. But instead of speaking, Tony leaned in and kissed him. It was chaste, gentle and almost timid, if Tony could be timid. Steve responded by returning the kiss and pulling the other man closer to him. 

“That’s what I remember.” Tony pulled away from the kiss.

Steve’s instinct was to say he needed time, but he’d had it. While Tony was recovering and getting healthy and healing, Steve had had nothing but time. If he wasn’t ready now, he never would be.

“I’m good with that.”


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 

Steve came to bed, seeing Tony was already curled up there and snuggled with a pillow tucked in his arms. Tomorrow would bring dawn on a new day with the world rebuilding in the wake of Norman Osborn. Steve would get to work as the new Nick Fury, or new Tony Stark, the new Director of what was returning to SHIELD. He’d be at a desk with paperwork and Tony would begin whatever the next phase was for him. 

There was a long road ahead of recovery on all ends, mourning those they had lost and fixing what had been broken. As he got into bed beside Tony, he looked down at the other man, stroking some of the hair out of his face. Tony would outlive them all now, as long as his brain held out. What lay in the coming months would be difficult, sure. But Steve was aware of the one thing that would make it all easier. 

They’d face it together. United again for the first time in too long. For that, he was thankful. 

 

Fin


End file.
